Kathmandu: The Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has decided to supply only half-filled cooking gas cylinders to the market starting Friday in an effort to address the ongoing fright among consumers.According to NOC spokesperson Manoj Kumar Thakur, consumers will now be able to purchase half-filled cylinders containing 7.1 kilograms of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
The price of the half-filled cylinder will also be set at half the current price of a full cylinder. The price of a half-filled cooking gas cylinder will be Rs. 955 per cylinder. Spokesperson Thakur said the decision was taken due to growing global demand for gas and supply disruptions caused by ongoing international conflicts.
However, the import of petroleum products and LPG from the Indian Oil Corporation has remained normal to date, he said.Despite NOC continuing to import and distribute LPG according to regular demand, gas consumption in the Kathmandu Valley has increased significantly over the past two to three months, he said.
According to the corporation, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has disrupted the global supply of petroleum products and LPG.Following these reports, many consumers in Nepal have started purchasing and storing LPG cylinders in number greater than their actual needs, further increasing pressure on supply in the Kathmandu Valley, Thakur said.
Considering the current situation, the corporation has decided to reorganise the LPG supply and distribution system to ensure wider availability for consumers, he added.He explained that the move aims to stabilise the market and ensure broader access to cooking gas for consumers.
“With half cylinders, gas will reach more households,” he told The Rising Nepal. “Where 2,000 consumers previously received gas, now up to 4,000 consumers will be able to get it.” He expressed his belief that distributing half-filled cylinders will help discourage unnecessary hoarding of gas.
He said that wealthy households with multiple cylinders, as well as hotels and restaurants, are hoarding gas, which has hit ordinary consumers hard.According to him, people are less likely to stockpile smaller quantities, meaning those who genuinely need gas will be able to purchase it more easily. The NOC has urged all consumers to cooperate with the new arrangement and purchase LPG cylinders accordingly.
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