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Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has enforced a rationing system for cooking gas, directing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottlers to sell only half-filled cylinders. The decision comes amid a surge in demand driven by panic buying from consumers, fueled by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

According to NOC, there are approximately 150,000 LPG cylinders currently in circulation across the country. Under the new measure, consumers will receive cylinders filled with only 7.1 kg of gas instead of the standard 14.2 kg.

NOC’s Managing Director, Chandika Prasad Bhatta, stated that the decision was made to manage the supply of this essential kitchen fuel. "A board meeting on Thursday afternoon decided to implement this rule, effective from Friday," Bhatta told Republica.

Although NOC has consistently maintained that actual LPG imports have not decreased, consumers have been facing weeks-long waits to obtain a gas cylinder. Long queues of empty cylinders are visible at numerous bottling plants and gas depots in the Kathmandu Valley.

According to NOC records, the country's daily demand for LPG typically ranges from 100,000 to 110,000 cylinders. "To meet this demand, imports of around 95 bullets [tanker trucks] are needed daily. However, demand has recently surged to 130,000 cylinders per day as households began stockpiling due to fears of a potential crisis," Bhatta explained.

NOC attributes the panic buying to reports in Indian media about a growing LPG shortage in several Indian states. Indian authorities have reportedly limited households to one cylinder per month, while restaurants have reduced operations due to inadequate supplies.

The government had resorted to half-cylinder sales in the past. A similar measure was implemented a decade ago during the unofficial Indian blockade. That rule was later lifted, and full 14.2 kg cylinders were reinstated in February 2016. The rationing system was also briefly reintroduced in March 2020 when imports were disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the current shortage looming, both the Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumers Protection (DoCSP) and NOC have been closely monitoring LPG supplies in recent days. Authorities have directed bottlers to maintain daily records of distributions by depots.