KATHMANDU: Kathmandu Metropolitan City has intensified monitoring against activities that artificially create shortages of cooking gas and vehicle fuel for black marketing.
The move comes after rising complaints that some traders are refusing to sell cooking gas to consumers despite having stock, claiming there is no supply, charging higher prices, and withholding fuel at depots even when supplies are available.
According to Mahesh Kafle, chief of the administration department at Kathmandu Metropolitan City, action will be taken against those spreading false information about gas shortages to inflate prices and disrupt public life.
He said Nepal Oil Corporation has set the price of cooking gas at Rs 1,910 per cylinder and urged both traders and consumers to buy and sell at the fixed rate.
Kafle also warned that if consumers begin hoarding gas due to fears of shortages, it could disrupt the balance between demand and supply.
“Smooth supply will only be possible if consumers, businesses and the government all act responsibly,” he said.
The metropolitan city has also started monitoring petrol pumps after receiving reports that some stations are refusing to supply fuel to vehicles despite having stock.
Kathmandu Metropolitan has asked the public to report any suspected artificial shortages of gas or fuel through its hotline numbers 1180 and 9851356509. Authorities said monitoring and necessary action will be taken based on the information received.
Meanwhile, Gyaneshwar Aryal, president of the Gas Vendors Federation Nepal, said the supply of cooking gas from India remains regular.
According to him, the current situation appears like a shortage mainly due to increased demand, adding that problems may arise only if consumers begin hoarding gas unnecessarily.
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