LPG sellers linger to obtain certification

KATHMANDU, APR 09

Only 13 liquefied petroleum gas ( LPG ) sellers have obtained certification since the Department of Commerce and Supply Management (DoCSM) issued a notice on March 26 asking them to complete the paperwork.

The dealers in the Kathmandu valley have been given a deadline of April 30. There are more than 1,000 sellers including distributors, depots and retailers of cooking gas in the Capital.

DoCSM Director General Shambhu Prasad Koirala said they started certification of LPG sellers to update their information. “It could help the department conduct effective monitoring in the future,” said Koirala, adding that the anomalies committed by unidentified LPG sellers had been found to be one of the main causes behind the gas shortage.

During the recent shortage of LPG that lasted almost four months, LPG dealers had also been blamed for the scarcity. These dealers were suspected to have hoarded LPG and engaged in black marketing.

There are 55 bottling plants and an estimated 10,000 gas dealers across the country. Many of the gas sellers are reported to be doing business from their grocery shops without getting a licence.

According to the DoCSM, the department has asked LPG sellers to submit their detailed information along with a location map of their place of business. “We are also planning to develop a separate software to keep track of all the LPG sellers,” said Koirala.

He added that they had started the process of certification based on the authority provided by Gas and Petroleum Regulation Order 2013.

“Besides the certification, we have also been collecting information through LPG suppliers including the bottlers, Nepal Oil Corporation and distributors to keep track of all the cooking gas sellers,” he said.

Koirala said that the department would not allow gas dealers missing the deadline to continue doing business.

In the second phase, the department plans to enforce specific standards at the retail outlets. “This will include maintaining safety standards and weighing LPG cylinders with digital machines before they leave the store,” he said

Source: The Kathmandu Post