Kathmandu, March 10
The Nepal Oil Corporation has held discussions with gas industry operators after the shortage of cooking LPG in the market remained unresolved. The corporation has issued special directives to make the supply system easier and more transparent.
Corporation spokesperson Manoj Thakur said that during the discussions between the corporation and gas entrepreneurs, industry representatives stated that there was no problem in supply, but improvements were needed in the distribution system.
According to him, the corporation has instructed industries to continuously import gas according to their assigned capacity and ensure regular market supply. Industries are also required to submit clear daily reports to the corporation specifying how much gas was supplied to which dealers.
Similarly, gas dealers must now compulsorily maintain records of buyers, including their phone numbers.
The corporation’s primary directive is to prioritise household consumption during gas distribution. Gas must be made available to the general public before hotels and commercial sectors. Separate records must also be maintained for gas supplied for commercial purposes.
Meanwhile, India has introduced a rule allowing only one cylinder per household consumer every 25 days. However, spokesperson Thakur clarified that Nepal does not face such a situation and that gas imports are sufficient to meet demand.
“Nepal’s annual consumption is equal to just one day of consumption in India, so there is no supply problem,” he said. “Only the distribution system needs to be managed properly.”
The corporation also stated that since industries have VAT billing systems and vehicle tracking systems in place, detailed monitoring will now be conducted to track how much gas each dealer receives and who they sell it to.
Complaints have been received that some dealers prioritise their old or regular customers, depriving new and emergency consumers of gas. Therefore, instructions have also been issued to ensure equal distribution to all consumers.
The corporation claims that the new measures will eliminate the artificial shortage seen in the market and make gas easily available to consumers.
