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The government’s decision to start selling cooking gas directly has failed to ease the shortage. Instead, consumers are facing longer queues and greater hardship. The Nepal Oil Corporation began selling LPG cylinders at several locations in Kathmandu Valley on Saturday, requiring consumers to show citizenship certificates or national identity cards. Yet many who spent the entire day in line on Sunday returned home with empty cylinders.

The government stepped in to sell gas directly after a nationwide shortage that has lasted nearly a month. But the shortage continues, while the queues have grown longer. Gas dealers, who have been responsible for distribution, have also turned against the government’s decision.

The corporation says Nepal consumes around 3.5 million LPG cylinders a month. In Shrawan alone, 3.838 million cylinders were reportedly supplied to consumers. Yet there is no clear answer as to where more than 300,000 cylinders have gone.

Consumers have been bearing the brunt of the shortage. Rajendra Lama, who travelled from Kavresthali to the Nepal Oil Corporation’s sales centre in Teku carrying an empty cylinder, waited for six hours but returned without gas. Dipesh Maharjan also spent hours in line, enduring the heat and heavy rain, but failed to get a cylinder. His cylinder had been empty for 10 days. After failing to get gas at a depot near his rented room in Sitapaila, he travelled to Teku hoping to buy one. He joined the queue at 9am Sunday but still did not get his turn.

Lama and Maharjan are among thousands facing similar problems at government run sales centres. Consumers say it makes little sense to carry cylinders long distances, wait for hours in the rain and then return home empty handed. They have urged the government to restore distribution through local dealers and depots, allowing people to obtain gas close to their homes.

The Gas Sellers Federation Nepal has also demanded an immediate halt to the government’s direct sales system. Federation president Gyaneshwar Aryal said the corporation had bypassed the regular dealer based distribution system and started selling gas through industries and designated centres, creating further confusion and hardship.

Aryal accused the government of withholding gas from dealers while subjecting them to unnecessary inspections. He said the approach had disrupted the supply system and market not only in Kathmandu Valley but across the country.

In a statement issued Sunday, the federation objected to the government selling gas directly through the corporation, industries and various sales centres. It urged the government to stop the practice and resume regular distribution through authorised dealers.

According to the federation, using the existing dealer network would prevent consumers from carrying cylinders long distances and spending an entire day in queues. It also released data showing that Nepal imported around 60,000 tonnes less LPG over the past four months.

The federation also blamed the proliferation of new cylinders for worsening the problem. It claims around eight million new cylinders are already circulating in the market, far more than required. The federation said sales of new cylinders to customers who pay for them have not been stopped and warned that failing to control the practice could make shortages worse in the coming months and years.

Consumers are also facing additional difficulties because the government has made citizenship certificates and national identity cards mandatory for purchasing gas. The federation said the government, Nepal Oil Corporation and the Ministry of Commerce should focus on fixing the actual supply problem instead of publicising measures that add to consumers’ difficulties.

Aryal said the government should stop the publicity driven approach and immediately restore regular LPG distribution through dealers. According to him, doing so would be the quickest way to reduce the hardship consumers are facing.

A large crowd was again seen on Sunday at the Nepal Oil Corporation premises in Teku, where consumers queued for a single LPG cylinder. Similar scenes have been witnessed continuously in Kathmandu and other cities across the country for the past several days.

Consumers are asking when they will finally be freed from the ordeal of waiting in line all day, regardless of the heat or rain, only to return without gas. Instead of easing their difficulties despite its various efforts, the government appears to have made the situation worse. The shortage continues to deepen. Some consumers said they had been forced to feed their young children only beaten rice and water after their gas ran out.

According to gas dealers and consumer rights activists, the distribution system has become even more chaotic since the government began selling gas directly. Gas dealers have not been receiving adequate supplies, while even less gas has reached the sellers who purchase cylinders from dealers and deliver them to consumers’ homes.

According to the corporation, 54,505 tonnes of LPG had entered Nepal by Sunday. This is the highest volume of gas imported from India in a single month so far. Based on the standard 14.2 kg cylinder, 3.838 million cylinders had reached consumers in Shrawan alone. The corporation says monthly domestic consumption stands at around 3.5 million cylinders. Even after selling around 350,000 more cylinders than monthly demand, the country is still facing a shortage.

Despite the government’s various measures, the LPG shortage is becoming more severe instead of easing.

Industry, Commerce and Supply Minister Gauri Kumari said the problem worsened because the government stopped trusting the existing supply and sales system and instead placed greater reliance on chief district officers, corporation officials and gas dealer operators.

She said gas had previously been supplied through authorised dealers and sellers linked to the respective industries. However, the current arrangement was introduced because the minister was no longer confident in that system.

According to Minister Kumari, when the shortage began, chief district officers told government agencies during discussions that gas dealers and sellers were charging higher prices and that individuals were taking multiple cylinders, contributing to the shortage. Based on those reports, the government decided to sell gas itself.

Since Saturday, the government has been selling LPG from designated locations across Kathmandu Valley.

On Sunday, gas was distributed from several locations, including the Nepal Oil Corporation premises in Teku, the Animal Services Branch in Budhanilkantha, the Judo Hall premises in Nayabazar, the Tarakeshwar Municipality premises, Chandragiri Municipality Office and the National Tuberculosis Centre.