CHITWAN: Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottling has begun outside Kathmandu Valley after a section of the Prithvi Highway at Krishna Bhir was washed away, disrupting the movement of LPG bullet tankers into the capital.
As heavy LPG tankers have been unable to reach Kathmandu even through alternative routes, gas companies have started transporting empty cylinders to bottling plants outside the Valley, where they are being refilled and sent back to Kathmandu.
Salt Trading Corporation’s STC Gas cylinders are being filled at Manoj Gas in Birgunj. Similarly, Baba Gas in Chitwan has filled and dispatched 1,500 Shree Gas cylinders to Kathmandu. The Shree Gas plant is located in Naubise, Dhading.
Baba Gas has also sent 900 of its own cylinders to Kathmandu, while Nepal Gas Gandaki has filled and dispatched 1,200 Nepal Gas cylinders for the Balaju-based company.
According to Baba Gas operator Bimal Kalakheti, gas from Shriram Gas in Naubise has been sent to Janaki Gas in Gaindakot, while Sahara Gas in Hetauda has been supplying cylinders to Everest Gas and Sugam Gas in Kathmandu.
“STC Gas of Salt Trading Corporation has been sent to Manoj Gas in Birgunj,” Kalakheti said.
He added that Sagarmatha Gas in Banepa has started sending cylinders to Chandi Gas in Parasi, while Lokpriya, Super Gas, Tara Gas and other LPG industries outside the Valley have also begun transporting cylinders to Kathmandu via the Tribhuvan Highway.
Kalakheti, who is also a member of the Nepal LP Gas Industry Association, said the alternative bottling arrangement would help prevent a shortage of cooking gas in the Valley.
“There will be no shortage of gas because imports from India have not declined. Industries that cannot bring LPG bullets into the Valley are filling cylinders at other plants and transporting them by trucks,” he said.
According to Kalakheti, Nepal received 60,200 metric tons of LPG from India last month, the highest monthly volume recorded so far. He said supplies from India have continued at a similar level, indicating that there is no immediate shortage of LPG.
Nepal LP Gas Industry Association President Dewan Chand said Nepal Oil Corporation has permitted LPG companies to arrange bottling outside Kathmandu Valley to maintain supplies.
He said 16 LPG industries in Kathmandu Valley and surrounding areas have begun coordinating with plants in Bara, Parsa, Chitwan, Makwanpur, Nawalparasi East and Nawalparasi West to refill and transport cylinders to the Valley.
According to Chand, Kathmandu Valley and adjoining areas account for around 40 percent of the country’s total LPG consumption, making uninterrupted supply to the region a priority amid the ongoing road disruption.
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