Govt steps in to ease shortage of LPG

KATHMANDU:

As the country is reeling under perennial shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) since a month despite increased import, the government has formed a central monitoring committee to effectively check the product delivery order issued by Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), actual import of LPG and number of cylinders supplied to the market.

The government has said that it has formed a central monitoring committee that has been tasked to ensure easy availability of cooking fuel through effective monitoring as the bottling plants and gas dealers are allegedly hoarding LPG cylinders.

Ministry of Commerce and Supplies (MoCS), line ministry of NOC — the state-owned petroleum supply monopoly — had promised the Industry, Commerce and Consumer Welfare Committee of the Legislature-Parliament, Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority and National Human Rights Commission to ease the supply by the first week of January. However, prolonged scarcity of LPG continues to hit consumers.

“The committee will monitor 55 gas bottling plants as well as dealers as they are allegedly hoarding LPG,” said Deepak Subedi, convenor of the committee and joint secretary of MoCS. Government-formed central monitoring cell led by Subedi comprises Senior Superintendent of Police Hemanta Pal, assistant chief district officers of three districts of Valley, and distribution and monitoring section chiefs from NOC, and undersecretary of MoCS is the member secretary of the committee.

To end the chronic shortage being faced by the Valley denizens, the central monitoring committee has asked the Police Station at Thankot check post to collect the database of the bottled cylinders supplied in the Valley.

“We will cross-check the product delivery order of the respective bottling plant and supplied bottled cylinders,” Subedi said, “All the District Administration Offices have also been asked to monitor the supply situation in their respective districts by mobilising police force.”

While a majority of bottling plants are located in Dhading, Chitwan and Nawalparasi districts, District Administrative Offices of respective districts were told to properly monitor the plants whether they have been supplying the cylinders in the market or not.

Source: THT