Er.energyNP@Gmail.com

The Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) has urged the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) to facilitate the distribution of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders for commercial use, saying many hotel and restaurant operators are unable to travel to gas bottling plants to refill cylinders themselves.

HAN General Secretary Sajan Shakya said large and well-resourced businesses may be able to collect LPG directly from industries, but the arrangement has created difficulties for small hotel operators.

“Small hotel operators are not in a position to travel to gas industries, refill the cylinders and bring them back. Those who can manage it are doing so, but our request is that the difficulties faced by businesses that cannot do so should also be addressed,” Shakya said.

He said the association plans to hold further discussions with the Nepal Oil Corporation to find a more practical distribution mechanism.

According to Shakya, discussions held earlier with the Ministry of Industry have indicated that the situation is gradually becoming easier. He said the NOC is also preparing a plan to make both commercial and household LPG cylinders available.

The government had previously instructed hotels and restaurants using LPG for commercial purposes to collect gas directly from bottling plants. Following the directive, some businesses have been travelling to gas industries and refilling cylinders according to their convenience and capacity.

However, the hotel sector has argued that requiring every business to collect LPG directly from industries is not practical, particularly for small hotels and restaurants that lack the manpower and transportation capacity to do so.

Meanwhile, LPG supplies to Kathmandu have been affected by road disruptions, limiting the volume of gas entering the capital.

Kathmandu consumes around 42,000 LPG cylinders every day. Only around 20,000 cylinders had entered Kathmandu in recent days amid transportation difficulties.

Supply has improved significantly over the past three days, with around 87,000 LPG cylinders reportedly entering Kathmandu during the period.

The Hotel Association has called for the improved supply situation to be accompanied by a more efficient distribution mechanism for commercial users, particularly as hotels and restaurants depend heavily on LPG for daily cooking operations.

The association’s request comes as businesses continue to face difficulties securing adequate cooking gas amid transportation disruptions and the government’s separate distribution arrangements for commercial and household consumers.