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LPG gas industries in Chitwan and neighboring districts have stepped up production and are sending filled cylinders to Kathmandu as demand in the capital has surged sharply.

Industries in Chitwan, Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East), Makwanpur, Bara, Parsa and Dhanusha are operating bottling plants for up to 14 hours a day to maintain supplies to the Kathmandu Valley.

According to Bimal Kalakheti, a member of the Nepal LPG Industry Association, Baba Gas, Sai Baba Gas and Nepal Gas Gandaki in Chitwan, Janaki Gas in Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East), and Nepal Gas and Narayani Gas in Dhanusha are operating two shifts a day, bottling around 15,000 cylinders daily.

The plants have 24 bottling machines, each capable of filling one cylinder per minute, allowing the facilities to maintain a high production rate.

Other industries—including Nobel Gas in Dhanusha; One (NL), Jagdamba, Leo and Amber Gas in Bara; Supper and Manoj Gas in Parsa; Sahara Gas in Makwanpur; and Chandeshwori Gas in Nawalparasi—are also bottling cylinders and sending them to the Kathmandu Valley.

These industries collectively fill around 10,000 cylinders a day, with roughly half distributed in local markets and the remainder transported to Kathmandu.

Kalakheti said LPG entrepreneurs across the region are working to manage the entire supply chain, from arranging trucks and bringing LPG through bullet tankers to bottling and distributing the cylinders to markets.

Daily LPG demand in the Kathmandu Valley, normally around 40,000 cylinders, has now surged to approximately 100,000 cylinders.

A total of 53,469 cylinders were sent to the Valley on Wednesday, although the daily figure fluctuates depending on production and transportation conditions.

Filled cylinders from Chitwan are being transported to Kathmandu via Hetauda.

However, transportation has remained challenging due to narrow roads, heavy traffic and occasional landslides along the route, creating difficulties in maintaining a smooth supply to the capital.