Bhutan restricts fuel sales to Indian vehicles amid price hike concerns

Alipurduar: Amid rising tensions in the Middle East and a recent increase in LPG cylinder prices, concerns are growing over a possible hike in petrol and diesel prices. In this situation, Bhutan has imposed restrictions on the sale of fuel to vehicles with Indian registration numbers at petrol pumps in the neighbouring country.

Currently, petrol costs around Rs 106 per litre in India, while it is priced at approximately Rs 65–66 per litre in Bhutan. Diesel costs about Rs 91 per litre in India compared to around Rs 70 per litre in Bhutan. Due to this significant price difference, many vehicle owners from the border districts of Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar regularly cross into Bhutan to refuel their vehicles.

However, following the recent international developments, fuel stations in Bhutan have introduced limits on refuelling Indian vehicles. According to the new rules, a vehicle can purchase fuel worth only Rs.1,000, whether petrol or diesel, while motorcycles and scooters are limited to just one litre of petrol.

The restrictions have left residents of border areas such as Banarhat in Jalpaiguri and Jaigaon in Alipurduar disappointed, as many of them have long depended on Bhutan’s cheaper fuel. Locals fear that the Bhutanese government may impose a complete ban on refuelling Indian vehicles if the situation worsens.

Jaigaon Merchants’ Association president Ramashankar Gupta said the restrictions are likely to affect the transport business.

Drivers who frequently take tourists to Bhutan are also concerned. Driver Ovi Bhattacharya said that earlier many drivers used to fill their vehicle tanks before returning to India because of the lower fuel prices. “Now we can buy only a limited amount of fuel,” he said.

Although Bhutan has taken these precautionary measures, many consumers in Alipurduar fear that fuel prices could rise at any time, similar to the recent increase in cooking gas prices.

Despite these concerns, petrol pump owners in Alipurduar say fuel sales have not increased significantly so far, and the local fuel market remains stable for now.