LPG Bottlers Pledge Normal Supply as Prithvi Highway Reopens

Kathmandu: Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottlers have assured consumers in the Kathmandu Valley that the supply of cooking gas will return to normal from Friday, following the reopening of an alternative route along the disrupted Prithvi Highway.

The Nepal LP Gas Industry Association (NLPGIA), issuing a press statement on Thursday, said consumers would no longer have to pay the additional surcharge imposed on LPG cylinders due to the highway disruption and higher transportation costs.

The normal retail price of LPG will be restored to Rs 2,060 per cylinder from September 18, down from the current price of Rs 2,165.38, which includes a Rs 105.38 transportation surcharge.

According to the association, the opening of an alternative track at the damaged section of the highway has allowed LPG tankers, or bullets, to resume transporting gas to the Kathmandu Valley. This has eliminated the need to fill cylinders outside the Valley and eased pressure on the supply system.

“The opening of an alternative track on the disrupted highway section has enabled LPG bullets to resume their movement toward the Valley, removing the need to fill cylinders outside the Valley and helping ease the supply situation,” the association said.

Consumers in the Valley have been facing an LPG shortage since the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) switched to supplying full LPG cylinders instead of half-filled cylinders on July 15. The shortage worsened after floods in the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers on August 26 damaged the Krishnabhir section of the Prithvi Highway, disrupting the movement of LPG tankers along the country's main road link to Kathmandu.

Amid the prolonged shortage and a flourishing black market, consumers have reportedly been forced to pay as much as Rs 3,000 per cylinder. Many have also had to stand in long queues for hours and wait weeks to obtain a cylinder.

With the alternative route now operational, LPG bottlers expect distribution in the Valley to gradually return to normal.