CHITWAN: LPG companies have intensified efforts to prevent a cooking gas shortage in Kathmandu Valley after the disruption of the Prithvi Highway at Krishnabhir in Dhading.
Following approval from Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) to bottle LPG cylinders outside Kathmandu Valley, gas companies have started sending empty cylinders to plants in other districts, where they are filled and transported back to the capital using alternative routes.
President of the Nepal LP Gas Industry Association Diwan Chand, outgoing president Shiva Ghimire, former president Gokul Bhandari, association member Bimal Kalakheti and other representatives have been coordinating with transport operators in Makawanpur to ensure the smooth movement of LPG cylinders.
According to former association president Bhandari, gas plants outside Kathmandu have only a limited stock of empty cylinders. Therefore, empty cylinders from the valley must first be transported to these plants for filling and then returned to Kathmandu. The arrangement requires trucks to make separate journeys for empty and filled cylinders.
Bhandari, who also operates Nepal Gas, said his company has begun bottling LPG cylinders at Nepal Gas Gandaki in Chitwan. However, the limited availability of empty cylinders has made it difficult to meet the full demand in Kathmandu. Nepal Gas currently supplies about 11,000 cylinders daily in the valley and plans to deliver an additional 8,000 to 10,000 cylinders per day through the new arrangement within the next few days.
Association member Kalakheti said several other gas companies have also started sending empty cylinders to plants outside the valley for bottling. However, transportation has been slowed because vehicles carrying empty cylinders are not permitted to travel along the Kanti Lokpath at night.
A number of companies have begun using gas plants outside Kathmandu to bottle LPG and transport it to the valley. Baba Gas, for instance, has bottled Shree Gas cylinders and sent them to Kathmandu, while Sai Baba Gas has transported its own filled cylinders. Shree Ram Gas in Naubise has sent cylinders to Janaki Gas in Gaindakot for filling, while Kathmandu-based Everest Gas and Sugam Gas have been using Sahara Gas in Hetauda for bottling.
Sagarmatha Gas of Banepa, Chandi Gas of Nawalparasi, Lokra Gas of Banepa, Super Gas, Tara Gas and other companies have also started bottling their cylinders at plants outside the capital and transporting them to Kathmandu through the Tribhuvan Highway. The association said 16 gas industries in Kathmandu Valley and surrounding districts are involved in the supply network.
Chand said Kathmandu Valley normally consumes approximately 40,000 LPG cylinders per day. However, demand has risen sharply to around 100,000 cylinders daily as consumers fear possible supply disruptions.
He said the coordinated efforts to bottle and transport LPG through alternative arrangements are expected to improve the situation within a few days. Chand also appealed to consumers not to stockpile LPG and to exchange cylinders only when necessary.
A gas bullet tanker carries LPG equivalent to roughly 450 cylinders, while a large truck can transport about 500 filled cylinders or approximately 600 empty ones. About 40 percent of the LPG supplied by Nepal’s 58 gas industries is consumed in Kathmandu Valley.
Gas plants located near the capital have also started operating in two shifts to increase production and distribution. Chand said Nepal imported 60,200 metric tonnes of LPG from India last month, the highest monthly volume recorded so far. He added that there is currently no shortage of LPG at the import stage.
Salt Trading Adopts Alternative LPG Supply Arrangement
Salt Trading Corporation Limited has also introduced an alternative arrangement to maintain a steady supply of cooking gas in Kathmandu by having its STC-branded cylinders filled at private gas plants.
After the Trishuli River damaged the Prithvi Highway at Krishnabhir in Dhading last Sunday, the corporation decided to have its empty STC cylinders bottled at private gas plants in locations that remain accessible and then transport the filled cylinders to Kathmandu through alternative routes.
The highway disruption has also affected Salt Trading’s LPG plant at Jugekhola in Dhading. With gas tankers unable to reach the facility, the corporation has coordinated with private-sector plants, including Manoj Gas, to fill its empty STC cylinders and transport them to Kathmandu Valley.
The corporation said the arrangement was introduced to prevent a possible LPG shortage amid the ongoing disaster and transportation disruptions.
Although Nepal Oil Corporation has allocated Salt Trading a limited LPG quota through purchase orders (PDOs), the corporation has been unable to meet market demand. According to Salt Trading, it has an agreement with Indian Oil Corporation for 325 gas tankers, but only around 2 percent of that allocation—53 tankers—has been made available to the corporation.
Salt Trading currently uses approximately 55,000 to 60,000 STC cylinders each month.
While private gas companies have been dealing with supply and transportation difficulties arising from factors including the Gulf crisis and the disruption of the Prithvi Highway, Salt Trading said it has continued facilitating LPG sales and distribution through its coupon-based system.
