KATHMANDU: The government on Tuesday directed the dealers to provide the details of LPG (cooking gas), including its amount imported from India, to the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC).

It is said the government took this measure for the effective distribution of cooking gas amid the acute shortage of fuel across the country.

The Ministry of Commerce and Supplies (MoCS) issued the directive for LPG dealers to provide particulars regarding the volume of gas imported as well as its sales and distribution mechanism.

The MoCS has asked for details as the amount of gas bullets imported from India, the name of the LPG industry, the date for refilling, the name of the dealers, sellers and distributors to whom the cooking gas is supplied to. Such details are to be submitted on a regular basis to the Control Room set up at NOC. The dealers can also submit the details to fax number 01-4263499.

The MoCS further warned of taking stern action against the dealers who fail to submit the details on a regular basis.

Shiva Prasad Tripathi, Under-Secretary at the MoCS, said the directive was issued after the LPG industries started distributing cooking gas from the industries' plants itself.

Meanwhile, the government has constituted a six-member fuel management mechanism under the coordination of the Director of the Department of Commerce and Supplies Management for the fair distribution of fuel whatsoever is in stock.

Under-Secretary Tripathi said the high-level mechanism has been formed as it was found that there were malpractices in the distribution of cooking gas. The retail sellers had not been supplied the cooking gas and the distribution was disproportionate.

There are more than 6,000 LPG dealers in Kathmandu Valley. About 6.2 million LPG cylinders are in usage in the country, where two million cylinders are used in monthly basis.

The country is besieged by the acute shortage of LPG due to the ongoing agitation in Tarai for last two months and the blockade at the Nepal-India border for over a month.

The daily demand for LPG in the Capital stands at 50,000 cylinders.