LPG queues persist in Kathmandu as joint Dashain cylinder sale ends
Producers are ending the joint Dashain cylinder sale and returning to dealers, a test of whether a change of minister can fix Nepal's cooking gas supply.
The most telling detail in Kathmandu's cooking gas story is not a shortage figure. It is a timetable that kept shrinking. A scheme meant to make supply more convenient during Dashain, the country's biggest festival, was announced to run until 17 October 2026, cut to 16 October, and then cut again to 14 October, all within days of its launch.
The retreat matters beyond the valley. The state-owned Nepal Oil Corporation brings LPG in from Indian refineries, and when the fuel is hard to buy, households feel it first. It is also a test of whether political change delivers anything at the point of sale.
A scheme built for the festival
On 11 October 2026, LPG producers began a temporary joint sales system in the Kathmandu Valley. A household could hand in an empty cylinder of whatever brand and collect a full one at a designated outlet of its choosing. The stated purpose was consumer convenience during Dashain.
There were six outlets on the first day. On 12 October 2026 the Nepal LP Gas Industry Association, working with the Oil Corporation and the Gas Vendors' Federation, expanded the scheme to 11 locations. The new sites were Chapali in Budhanilkantha, Harisiddhi in Lalitpur, Kalanki, Khasibazar and Satungal. Existing sites included Sukedhara, the Balaju Industrial Area gate, Pepsicola and Sifalchaur.
The rules were tight. Exchanges were allowed only at the 11 centres, between 11am and 4:30pm, and not at ordinary retail shops. That concentrated demand in a handful of points.
- Deepak Kumar Sah of the RSP appointed industry, commerce and supplies minister
- Joint cylinder exchange starts at six outlets
- Expanded to 11 outlets; end date moved from 17 to 16 October
- Association says the scheme will end on 14 October
- Regular dealer-based distribution due to resume
Source: Online Khabar; Khabarhub
Queues at every point
The scheme did not end the lines. All 11 outlets drew long queues, and buyers were put out by having to travel to selected points rather than use a nearby dealer. A separate report published in October 2026 found the same picture, with long queues for full cylinders at the distribution centres.
The industry association's position is different. It has said that supplies are smooth and there is no shortage, and that shipments from Indian refineries via the Oil Corporation are going well. Its chairperson, Diwan Chand, said the joint system had to end so that dealers could supply regularly on 15 and 16 October 2026.
The sources do not establish the cause of the queues, and it would be wrong to assign one. What they show is that a measure designed to ease access brought its own friction and was withdrawn after four days.
Source: Online Khabar
What a minister can and cannot fix
Deepak Kumar Sah of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) took over the industry, commerce and supplies ministry on 10 September 2026. His predecessor was replaced over problems with LPG supply. Consumers still face the same situation, and Sah has been unable to ease it, according to Khabarhub.
That verdict should be read with care. A month is short for a supply chain that runs from Indian refineries through a state importer to dealers. The sources do not say what Sah has tried, and they do not allocate blame to him. But the political logic is plain. A minister was removed over LPG, so LPG is now the yardstick against which the replacement is judged.
Back to dealers
From Thursday, 15 October 2026, regular dealer-based sales are due to resume. The association has asked consumers to buy from their nearest dealer. If dealers are stocked, the lines at the 11 centres should dissolve and the association's claim of smooth supply will look justified. If they are not, the return to normal channels will show whether the queues had a deeper cause.
The temporary arrangement also showed producers, the state importer and vendors working together. It showed the limits of the plan too: three different end dates in a few days.
What to watch
- Whether queues at dealers in the valley shorten after 15 October 2026, once the 11 centres close.
- Whether the Oil Corporation and the association publish supply and stock figures, which would let outsiders test the claim that there is no shortage.
- What steps the industry ministry under Sah announces on distribution.
- Whether the joint exchange model returns during future peak periods.
How this story was made: researched and written by The Standard’s desk with AI assistance, from the published reporting and official data credited below, and checked against those sources. Our standards.
