KATHMANDU: Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has urged consumers not to unnecessarily stockpile cooking gas, saying LPG supplies in the market have improved and are now exceeding average demand in the Kathmandu Valley.
The NOC said the situation is expected to return to normal within a few days. Binitmani Upadhyay, director of NOC, said the average daily demand for LPG in the Kathmandu Valley stands at around 35,000 to 37,000 cylinders. However, the corporation is currently supplying an additional 5,000 to 8,000 cylinders a day.
According to NOC, 22 LPG industries in the Kathmandu Valley are selling 47,388 cylinders on Tuesday, August 18. The Valley recorded sales of 52,576 cylinders on August 17, around 15,000 more than the normal daily demand.
The corporation said 309,553 cylinders were sold in the Valley from August 12 to August 18, averaging more than 44,000 cylinders a day.
Industry representatives said the current shortage is not the result of inadequate supply. They said LPG imports had declined due to external factors in Falgun, prompting the government to distribute partially filled cylinders to manage the situation. The impact of that earlier disruption is being felt now, but it is not expected to continue for long.
Krishna Bhakta Shrestha, president of the LP Gas Industry Association Nepal, said the situation had improved significantly since the distribution of gas through dealers began on Monday. He said the remaining problems are expected to be resolved within a week.
Comment