Consumers to face gas shortage during Tihar

A meeting held between the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) and delegates of Nepal LP Gas Industries Association (NLGIA) to resume normal supply of gas ended without reaching any agreement Wednesday after the NOC asked a month’s time to review various demands of gas companies including giving them facilities and profit margins at par with other petroleum dealers.

“Even after the hiking the price of gas, NOC has not been able to make arrangement to obtain more gas so that it is easily available to the consumers,” NLGIA president Sabarmal Agrawal told Kantipur Daily after his delegation walked out of the meeting.

“We have two demands – our profit margin be set as a percentage and not as a flat amount and NOC should make arrangements to bring more gas,” Agrawal said.

He also said that India Oil Corporation (IOC), the sole supplier of petroleum and gas to Nepal, was presently shipping only 50 tons of gas a day, whereas Nepal’s daily requirements was about 400 tons.

After the talks ended inconclusively, NOC officials said the corporation was holding internal discussions to deal with the present stalemate at the earliest.

With both sides remaining firm on their stance, the consumers are now all set to pay a heavy price. Organising a press meet after the talks, the gas companies announced that consumers might not get cooking gas during Tihar festival because there isn’t enough stock with any industries. They said that even if they reach an agreement, it would take two additional months to make the supply of gas normal.

The gas dealers have already stopped importing cooking gas from last week in a bid to pressure the NOC to accede to their demands.

Meanwhile, issuing a press release, the NOC has asked the gas companies to call off their strike for the time being. nepalnews.com ag Nov 01 07