Sufficient supply of gas, urged not to hoard unnecessary
Kathmandu. KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies has urged consumers to purchase LP gas only as per the need, saying there is no problem in the supply of LP gas in the market.
At a press conference jointly organized by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, District Administration Office, Kathmandu, Nepal Oil Corporation and Nepal Gas Industry Association on Friday, Joint Secretary and Spokesperson of the Ministry Netra Prasad Subedi urged the consumers not to hoard LPG unnecessarily, citing the increasing supply of cooking gas.
Stating that Article 44 of the Constitution of Nepal has guaranteed the rights of consumers, he said the government, private sector and social organizations were working from their respective sides to ensure the right to quality goods and services.
‘Gas supply has increased compared to the past. There is no problem with supply. It may be late to reach the bullet factory due to some rain, otherwise there will be no problem. Let’s buy only the quantity we need now, free from the worry of not getting it later,” he said.
According to Subedi, the demand for cooking gas has increased in the market after the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) decided to distribute LPG from 7.1 kg capacity to 14.2 kg full cylinder. He said that in the past, the practice of using 7.1 kg cylinders and then returning to 14.2 kg cylinders did not cause much discomfort in the market at that time.
But this time, after the start of full cylinder distribution, the demand of consumers has increased at once, which has put pressure on the market.
According to Subedi, there are currently 58 LP gas industries in operation across the country.
The industries have a total storage capacity of 10,166 metric tons and a daily filling capacity of about 175,000 cylinders.
According to the ministry’s data, 2,781 bullets of LPG were imported from August 15 to August 17.
According to the ministry, an average of 1.10 lakh cylinders are being sold daily in normal circumstances but about 1.32 lakh cylinders are being sold daily on an average in the recent period.
Subedi said that 134 bullets of LPG were imported on August 11 and more than 100 bullets are expected to be imported on Friday.
The ministry is coordinating with stakeholders to balance the supply and demand of the country. Diplomatic initiatives have also been continued by the Nepal Oil Corporation and the Ministry to ensure adequate import,” he said.
According to him, around
49,500 metric tons of LP gas is being supplied regularly every month. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has requested the Government of India to increase the supply to 60,000 metric tonnes for the next three months.
Subedi said that a grievance resolution team has been formed with representatives of the ministry, Nepal Oil Corporation and the Gas Industry Association to resolve the problems seen in the distribution of cooking gas due to the increase in demand.
The team started its work from August 20. As of August 11, 3,444 complaints have been addressed, according to the Ministry. According to him, the highest number of complaints were received on August 11 (603) while the number of complaints decreased by 41 percent to 370 by August 11.
The ministry has also forwarded the development of cylinder tracking system to systematize the distribution system of LP gas cylinders. As per the directive of the Industry, Commerce, Labor and Consumer Committee of the Parliament, the Department of Engineering, Project and Information Technology of Nepal Oil Corporation has expedited the technical work for cylinder tracking.
The ministry has warned of taking action against those involved in artificial shortage of gas, black marketeering or causing unnecessary trouble to consumers.
Subedi said that although the ministry does not want to use punitive tools, it will discourage businesses or businesses with bad intentions.
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