NOC starts distribution of LPG from ‘specific areas’
KATHMANDU, JAN 30 -
State-owned Nepal Oil Corporation ( NOC ) has started distributing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from various places in the Kathmandu valley designated as “specific areas” in a bid to ease the ongoing fuel crisis.
NOC Spokesperson Mukunda Ghimire said that they had started selling LPG in cooperation with gas dealers from New Baneshwor, Koteshwor, Battisputali, Sankhamul, Maitighar, Buddhanagar and Babarmahal on Thursday. “Around 11,000 cylinders of LPG were supplied in these places on Thursday.”
“During our inspection in the selected locations, we found that almost all the customers had been able to get LPG,” he said, adding that the current crisis would diminish in the next two weeks based on the current distribution network. Besides selling LPG in the special areas, NOC has issued stocks to almost all the dealers for distribution to their customers, said Ghimire.
Cooking gas will be sold every other day at the selected locations until February 10 under the special area scheme. The corporation has selected Old Baneshwor, Sinamangal, Gaushala, Chabahil, Bouddha, Chuchhepati, Kapan, Sankhu, Sundarijal and Nayabasti areas for distribution on Saturday.
NOC has been facing criticism from all sections of society due to its inability to ensure smooth supplies of cooking gas. Nepal has been facing a severe shortage of the essential fuel for the last two months.
The state-owned oil monopoly said it had jacked up imports from 40,000 cylinders daily to 70,000 daily from last week to ease the shortage. However, LPG is still in short supply despite the considerable increase in imports from India, Nepal’s sole supplier.
The country’s daily LPG requirement amounts to 56,000 cylinders, but the additional import of 14,000 cylinders do not seem to have reached consumers.
On Wednesday, the Central Monitoring and Evaluation Committee led by Chief Secretary Leela Mani Paudyal directed NOC to maintain smooth supplies of LPG by charting out a clear work plan. He also ordered NOC to construct infrastructure to hold at least a month’s supply of LPG. The Prime Minister’s Office has also instructed NOC to take stern action against LPG black marketeers.
Meanwhile, the Indian government has directed state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to increase the shipment of cooking gas to Nepal forthwith.
Indian Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan told IOC to supply cooking gas as per Nepal’s requirement as it has been reeling under a gas shortage. The minister informed Acting Nepali Ambassador to India Krishna Prasad Dhakal on Tuesday that he had directed the authorities to instantly increase LPG shipments to 30,000 tonnes from February.
Source: The Kathmandu Post
