Kathmandu, September 9
Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Gauri Kumari Yadav has said the licenses of all 58 gas companies operating in Nepal should be revoked, accusing gas dealers of creating artificial shortages and defying the government.
Speaking at a meeting of the Industry Committee under the Federal Parliament on Wednesday, Minister Yadav said the government had been left with no option but to consider revoking the licenses of all 58 gas companies currently in operation if they continued to withhold cooperation.
Yadav said it was embarrassing for the country that consumers were unable to obtain cooking gas even after paying for it. She accused gas companies of no longer complying with directives from the government and Nepal Oil Corporation. “In a country like ours, we don’t need more than two gas companies. At most, two would be enough; all of them should be revoked,” Yadav said. “I have also pleaded with all of them to make gas supplies smooth. Even after bringing all the gas operators together and pleading with them, it seems nothing works.”
Yadav also said gas cylinders sent to Kathmandu Valley were disappearing before reaching the market. “We sent 48,000 cylinders to Kathmandu the other day, but no one here has received more than 19,000 or 20,000. Where did the rest go? No one knows,” she said. “They don’t provide them even when we ask. The Nepal Oil Corporation may have written to them 10 times, but they haven’t supplied even once. Is the Nepal Oil Corporation involved in this, or is the government involved?”
There are currently 58 private gas companies operating in Nepal, including Salt Trading Corporation, which holds a 20% stake. However, Yadav accused the companies of failing to cooperate during the current crisis. “If all 58 gas companies had sent 3,000 cylinders each to Kathmandu every day, we would not be facing this situation today. It is embarrassing to think about what kind of country this is if people cannot get goods even after paying for them,” she said.
Saying that relying on the private sector had resulted in a betrayal, Yadav said Nepal Oil Corporation should establish and operate its own gas companies.
