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Nepal is seeking 160 additional LPG gas bullets from India as the government steps up efforts to ease a shortage and stabilise supplies across the country.

Jitendra Basnet, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, said on Wednesday that India had responded positively to Nepal’s request for the additional tankers.

Speaking at an event organised by the National Consumer Forum in Kathmandu, Basnet said diplomatic efforts were under way to increase Nepal’s monthly LPG supply from 50,000 metric tonnes to more than 60,000 metric tonnes.

He said efforts were also being made to reopen the Krishnabhir section of the road to two-way traffic.

Once additional LPG bullets begin entering Nepal, the supply situation is expected to improve and gas would be distributed at the existing price, he said.

Nepal currently aims to bring in around 50,000 LPG cylinders a day, but actual distribution has been fluctuating between 35,000 and 50,000 cylinders, according to Basnet.

To maintain supplies in Kathmandu, empty cylinders are being transported by truck to LPG plants in the Terai, where they are refilled across all three shifts before being brought back to the capital via the Tribhuvan Highway.

Basnet said the situation had been further complicated by consumers queuing up to stock additional cylinders, including those who already have a cylinder in use at home and another spare one.

He urged consumers who do not need an immediate replacement to avoid unnecessary queues and said priority should be given to households with only one cylinder, students living in rented accommodation, new mothers, pregnant women and people from low-income groups.

The ministry, he said, was continuing its efforts to ensure a smooth and adequate supply of LPG across the country.