LPG bottlers are divided over whether or not the government should continue to allow them to sell half-filled cylinders. 14.2kg (7.1kg).

A group of gas bottlers, citing high delivery costs, are demanding the government scrap the half-filled cylinder provision, while the others say the supply is better regulated this way.

Amid acute cooking gas shortage after India’s trade embargo, the government had allowed LPG bottlers to sell half-filled (7.1kg) cylinders to ease distribution. However, people are still finding it hard to buy the cooking gas.

Shiva Ghimire, president of LP Gas Industry Association, said most of the bottlers were in favour of selling just full (14.2kg) cylinders. “As half-filled cylinders have resulted in losses to bottlers, many of them have been demanding annulment of this provision,” he said.

Ram Kumar Shrestha, manager of Maruti Gas, said they were facing unnecessary cost increases. Maruti’s major market is Eastern Tarai, while it sells 3,500-4,000 cylinders per month in the Valley.

Shrestha said the half-filled cylinder provision has inflated their refilling and transportation costs.

“There is no meaning in selling half-filled cylinders particularly in Tarai where the has been largely eased,” he said.

On the other hand, some of the bottlers are okay with the half-filled provision. “We are ready to bear the high costs if it helps customers during the fuel crisis,” said Rajendra Pathak, manager of Shri Krishna Gas Plant. Shri Krishna sells 80-85 percent of its products in the Valley.

Not only the gas traders, even government authorities are not clear whether or not to continue with the half-filled cylinder provision. Hari Narayan Belbase, director at the Department of Commerce and Supply Management, said the department was in favour of scrapping the provision.

He said many customers had been complaining about being cheated in quantity in half-filled cylinders. “Besides, gas dealers have also been found charging extra, citing a rise in transportation costs,” he said. But Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has suggested giving continuity to the half-filled cylinder provision. NOC Spokesperson Mukunda Ghimire said more customers have been able to get gas due to the provision at the time of crisis. “As gas import from India is yet to smoothen, supply of full cylinders will again intensify the shortage,” Ghimire said.

The Supply Ministry said it was in wait-and-see mode. Joint Secretary Deepak Subedi said they were holding talks with stakeholders. He said a meeting scheduled for Sunday was likely to take a decision.

Of the 53 LPG bottlers in the country, 29 sell their products in the Valley. Brands such as Baba, Shri Ram, Siddhartha, Sagar, Himal, Saibaba, Shri Krishna, Tara, Lokpriya, Narayani, Sugam, Everest, Bhanu, Om, Lumbini, Rajdhani, Triveni, Geeta, Nepal, STC, HP, Grihalaxmi, Subidha, Trishul, Manoj, Shreemaya, Namaste, Surya and Chandi have been doing most of their business in the Capital.