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A severe shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has gripped major cities in Koshi Province, including Itahari and Dharan, leaving households scrambling for cooking fuel and disrupting businesses.

With gas industries failing to meet demand, most dealers and distributors have run out of stock, forcing consumers to carry empty cylinders from one depot to another in search of refills.

Regular LPG supplies to many gas depots in Itahari and Dharan have remained disrupted for weeks, bringing cylinder distribution to a near standstill.

Dealers say the limited number of cylinders that do arrive are sold out within hours, leaving many customers waiting in queues for weeks.

The shortage has also affected hotels, restaurants, and small businesses that rely heavily on LPG for their daily operations.

Many business owners say they have been forced to switch to alternative fuels due to the lack of timely cylinder supplies.

Households have also reported increasing difficulty in preparing daily meals as the crisis deepens.

According to gas distributors, the shortage stems from insufficient supplies from LPG industries.

They say production and transportation disruptions at some plants have led to an imbalance in gas distribution across eastern Nepal.

Consumers have expressed concern that the scarcity could be artificially created to encourage black-market sales, and have urged authorities to intensify market monitoring.

They have also called on the concerned agencies to ensure a regular supply of LPG and publicly disclose the actual reasons behind the ongoing shortage.