Kathmandu, Aug 5: Consumers across Nepal continue to struggle to refill cooking gas cylinders despite repeated assurances from the government and Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) that the supply situation will improve soon.
Long queues remain common at LPG dealers, with many households reporting they have waited for weeks to receive refills. The shortage has persisted even after NOC resumed the distribution of full 14.2-kilogram cylinders on July 15, ending a four-month rationing system under which consumers received only half-filled cylinders.
NOC says the disruption stems from the transition back to full cylinder distribution. According to the corporation, monthly LPG demand has jumped to between 55,000 and 60,000 metric tons, well above the normal requirement of around 48,000 metric tons.
Officials also cite transportation delays caused by the temporary closure of India’s Haldia and Durgapur refineries, along with increased consumer stockpiling, as factors behind the supply crunch.
However, consumer rights advocates reject the claim that households are responsible for the shortage. Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting of the parliamentary Industry, Commerce, Labour and Consumer Welfare Committee, consumer rights activist Madhav Timilsina argued that the crisis reflects poor planning rather than panic buying.
“If there was enough stock, why would people stand in long queues in heavy rain just to get a gas cylinder?” Timilsina said.
LPG bottling companies also questioned the government’s handling of the transition. Nepal LP Gas Industry Association President Diwan Bahadur Chand said the half cylinder distribution system was meant only as a temporary emergency measure, but it continued longer than necessary, creating imbalances when normal distribution resumed.
Industry representatives maintain that imports have remained adequate and that weak demand forecasting and poor distribution management are the main causes of the shortage.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies insists the situation will normalize within the next few days. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the ministry said LPG imports and distribution currently exceed the volume required to meet regular demand compared with the same period last year. It urged consumers not to be influenced by rumours and to buy gas only as needed.
The ministry said it has intensified market monitoring, launched reforms with NOC and LPG distributors to improve import, storage and distribution systems, and directed suppliers to prioritize households without spare cylinders. It also warned of strict legal action against anyone found creating artificial shortages, black marketing, or violating consumer protection laws.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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