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Consumers in Kathmandu Valley will be able to obtain liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by exchanging an empty cylinder of any brand at designated sales counters during the Dashain festival, under a plan being coordinated by Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), gas industries, dealers and security agencies.

The proposed arrangement aims to ease difficulties for households that have only one gas cylinder and struggle to obtain a refill because their cylinder belongs to a different company from the one supplying gas at a nearby outlet. Consumers will not be charged any additional fee for the cross-brand exchange.

NOC Executive Director Nagendra Sah said the corporation had requested gas industries to introduce the facility to provide relief to consumers during the festive period.

“Some people have only one cylinder and face difficulties even when gas is available in the market because their cylinder belongs to a different company,” Sah told Onlinekhabar. He said the corporation had asked industry operators to coordinate and ensure that consumers did not suffer unnecessarily.

In the past, some dealers reportedly charged consumers up to Rs 300 for exchanging cylinders belonging to different companies. Sah said the new arrangement would be entirely free of charge.

Joint sales counters planned at 15–20 locations

Shiv Prasad Ghimire, former president of the Nepal LPG Industry Association and a gas entrepreneur, said the industry was preparing to establish joint sales counters at 15 to 20 major locations across Kathmandu Valley.

Under the arrangement, participating companies will exchange cylinders among themselves to ensure that consumers can obtain gas without being restricted by the brand of their empty cylinder.

Ghimire said discussions were underway to operate the counters through coordination among gas industries, NOC, the dealers’ federation and security agencies. Potential locations include the Nepal Army headquarters area, Chhauni and Sitapaila.

The exact locations and operational details had yet to be finalised as of October 9. NOC said a formal notice was expected within a day or two after the participating companies complete their discussions.

The collected empty cylinders belonging to different brands will subsequently be managed internally by the gas companies.

NOC has also expressed a preference for allowing consumers to exchange cylinders directly through regular dealers, rather than requiring them to travel to specific joint sales counters. Sah said a dealer-level arrangement would make the facility more convenient for the public.

Facility restricted to genuine consumers

Gas entrepreneur Ghimire said the initiative was intended for households facing difficulties obtaining gas, not for dealers or commercial operators seeking to exchange cylinders for business purposes.

To prevent misuse, consumers will be required to provide identifying information at the sales counters. According to Ghimire, this may include a copy of their citizenship certificate or another identification document, along with a mobile phone number.

The information would also help authorities monitor the distribution process and ensure that the facility reaches the intended beneficiaries.

The arrangement is expected to particularly benefit households that own only one cylinder and cannot easily switch to another brand when their regular supplier is unable to provide a refill.

Festive demand and consumer convenience

LPG consumption in Kathmandu Valley typically declines by around 40 percent during Dashain as hundreds of thousands of residents leave the capital to celebrate the festival in their home districts.

However, households that remain in the valley can still face difficulties when their usual dealers do not have the specific brand of cylinder they use. The proposed cross-brand exchange system is intended to reduce this inconvenience by allowing consumers to obtain gas from a more accessible location.

The initiative comes as authorities and businesses coordinate the supply of essential goods during the major Hindu festival, when household demand, travel and retail operations follow seasonal patterns.

Consumers should wait for the official notice confirming the designated exchange locations and operating arrangements before visiting the joint sales counters.

Once implemented, the facility would allow eligible consumers to exchange empty cylinders across participating brands without paying the additional charges previously reported by some dealers.