Himal gas bottler lands in soup for black-marketing
KATHMANDU, FEB 23 -
Gaurishankar Gas Industry, the producer of Himal Gas, will face government action for its involvement in black-marketing of liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
Minister for Commerce and Supplies Lekh Raj Bhatta on Wednesday directed the
authorities concerned to take ‘immediate legal action’ against the gas plant based in Sanga, Kavre, which was found involved in black-marketing of LP gas in a raid carried out under the leadership of the minister.
An inspection team led by Bhatta and represented by officials from Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), and the Department of Commerce inspected three gas bottling plants—Gaurishankar, Sagar and Surya gas—on Wednesday.
Bhatta also directed authorities concerned to seal Gaurishankar’s office for 15 days and probe the company. “We have obtained enough proof of the company’s involvement in black-marketing. It will be penalised as per the Black Marketing Act,” Bhatta said after the inspection.
The team, also involving Journalists, headed to Gaurishankar’s office at Sanga after complaints that Himal Gas cylinders were not present in the market for sale for the last 15 days despite adequate purchase delivery orders issued by the NOC for the company.
Under the minister’s directive, over 300 LPG cylinders were distributed to Sanga locals.
As per the company’s sales records, it has been supplying around 1,500 LPG cylinders to its dealers every day since last 15 days. But it was found that those who received gas from the industry were fake clients. The company has 200,000 LPG cylinders.
“It has also been found that the company was selling 50 percent of its gas by charging higher price,” said Lal Mani Joshi, secretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies (MoCS), a member of the inspection team.
As per the plant’s sales data, it sells 200-300 cylinders per day to locals (as per the DAO directive) and remaining to dealers. But it failed to show which dealers received the gas. “The factory was found supplying LPG to fake dealers,” said Joshi. The factory cannot supply gas to others except dealers. “Based on the calculation, the company was making profits of over Rs 42,000 per day through black-marketing,’ said Joshi.
NOC’s acting managing director Suresh Agrawal said the corporation had been issuing adequate purchase delivery orders to the company, but the required amount of LPG cylinders had not been sold in the market. In the last five days, the company has been issued purchase delivery orders for over 87 tonnes of LPG.
Gaurishankar Manager Dek Raj Bhattarai, however, said his company was not involved in black-marketing. “We have 125 dealers and are supplying LPG to all of them,” he said.
Interestingly, when Bhattarai was defending his company, a car (30 CD 4) belonging to the Korean Embassy carrying over 20 empty LPG cylinders entered into Himal Gas premises.
Prem Tiwari, driver of the vehicle, said the embassy arranges LPG cylinders for its every staff member and he was sent there to get gas. A gas plant cannot supply gas to others except dealers.
Meanwhile, Sagar Gas and Surya Gas were found maintaining poor safety infrastructure.
Source: Kantipur
