The LPG gas dealers’ umbrella organisation, Gas Dealers’ Federation Nepal (GDFN), has thrown a card, and the Prime Minister has become the first recipient. Very soon, according to GDFN officials, gas will be distributed on the production of consumer cards. What’s all this adding up to? Another trick for more dough? However, they are swearing by the best of intentions. The objectives of the initiative: it’s consumer-oriented and not motivated by profit; the registration of cooking gas dealers will bring them into the tax net; it will discourage hoarding; and so on. Nine out of ten long-harassed consumers might smell rat in do-gooder traders, renowned for smelling profit miles away.

But one need not be a perennial cynic, either. The gas-wallahs have claimed that they have acted by default because the government failed to act in the first place. Maybe. After the months-long LPG crisis across the urban centres, conditions eased a lot. However, for many consumers, shortages that exist even today are unnecessary and artificial. The new scheme will adopt one family, one card motto. It is being said that any brand gas can be bought from the same dealer. But, will the gas companies free the gas users from their long captivity? Problems such as underweight cylinders and consumers’ inability to switch brands for better service are crying out for attention. It’s wait and watch as usual.