KATHMANDU: The Department of Industry, Commerce and Supplies under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies conducted an inspection at Hotel Radisson on Thursday.
According to the department, some gas cylinders were found in use while others were kept in stock. Officials said the quantity was not unusual.
However, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies presented the matter as a major issue, claiming that 184 gas cylinders had been found hidden at the five-star hotel.
The ministry issued a statement saying that 70 cylinders were also found connected for use. It said action was being prepared against the hotel for maintaining a large stock of cooking gas at a time when consumers are facing a shortage in the market.
The ministry’s statement drew criticism from the public after the claim was widely reported by the media and circulated on social media.
However, a department official told Khabarhub that the quantity of gas cylinders being used and stored by the hotel was not unusual. The official said the hotel had been purchasing and using a similar number of cylinders in the past.
“During the inspection, 184 gas cylinders were found in stock and 70 were connected to stoves. When we checked with the dealer, we found that the hotel had been using that quantity of cylinders for a long time. We did not find that it had purchased more cylinders than usual this time,” the official said.
The official also said there is currently no legal provision specifying how many cooking gas cylinders a particular sector or establishment can stock.
Following the inspection, the Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) held discussions with the department on Thursday and agreed to work toward developing a new procedure governing the amount of gas hotels can use and keep in stock.
“We discussed the matter with the department today and proposed developing a procedure specifying how much gas we use and how many cylinders hotels should be allowed to keep in stock. They said they would move forward in that direction,” HAN General Secretary Sajan Shakya said.
Shakya said a five-star hotel can use as many as 30 to 40 gas cylinders a day. Based on that consumption rate, he said the stock found at Hotel Radisson would only be sufficient for around three to four days.
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