Bhaktapur, November 5
The District Administration Office claims that the supply of cooking LPG has improved. Even so, consumers in Bhaktapur are still struggling to get gas. Many who have waited for months are forced to go from shop to shop and dealer to dealer in search of a single filled cylinder.
Sabina Bohju, a resident, says she has not received gas at home for three months. She earlier got a cylinder that was only half full, and she has not been able to get another since.
She has heard that gas is easily available in the market, but she has not found any so far.
“I am still wandering around looking for gas. I go from dealers to retailers, but there is none. When I call, they say the gas has not arrived,” she said. “They say supply has improved in the market, but where are consumers like us supposed to get it?”
The gas in her current cylinder is running out, and she has had trouble arranging another one. She asked sellers whether she could exchange it for another company’s cylinder, even by paying an extra fee, but received no help.
Another consumer, Sunil Dubal, faces the same problem. Dubal said that despite registering their name at a shop long ago, they still have not received a cylinder.
“Whenever I ask the shopkeeper, he says he will inform me once the gas arrives. Months have passed, and I still have not got it,” Dubal said. “We are paying for it. We are not asking for it for free. What kind of situation is this, when we cannot get a single cylinder even after paying?”
Government bodies and social media keep announcing that the gas supply is smooth. Consumers say they still cannot get it. Dubal asks where the gas is being distributed, if it is arriving in the market, and why it is not reaching real consumers.
The shortage has disrupted household routines for families that depend on gas for daily cooking. Consumers say they cannot cook on time and have to arrange alternative fuel. Families that have used the same cylinder for a long time find it especially hard to arrange another one as soon as the gas runs out.
Chief District Officer of Bhaktapur Binod Kumar Khadka claims that the gas supply in the district has returned to normal. He said that if consumers cannot get gas from one company, they can exchange cylinders through a dealer of another company.
He said that before Dashain, the District Administration Office had been announcing on social media which company’s gas would be distributed where and when. After Dashain, it stopped issuing such notices because it believed the supply had eased.
Consumers continue to complain even as the administration says supply is smooth. The mismatch between the administration’s claims and the situation in the market has left consumers confused.
People are asking why consumers still waiting for gas cannot get it if supply has improved. The problem has become more complicated because clear information about availability and distribution is not reaching consumers.
