The Government of India has expressed a positive response to Nepal’s request for 160 additional LPG gas bullets to help ease the ongoing cooking gas shortage, according to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS).

Speaking at a program organized by the National Consumers’ Forum in Kathmandu on Wednesday, MoICS Spokesperson and Joint Secretary Jitendra Basnet said diplomatic efforts are underway to increase Nepal’s monthly LPG supply from 50,000 metric tons to more than 60,000 metric tons.

According to Basnet, Indian authorities have responded positively to providing the additional 160 gas bullets to address the shortage in the Kathmandu Valley.

The ministry is also working to reopen the Krishnabhir road for two-way traffic. Basnet said the situation is expected to ease once additional gas bullets begin entering the valley, allowing distribution to resume at regular prices.

The government has set a target of distributing 50,000 LPG cylinders daily, although actual distribution currently ranges between 35,000 and 50,000 cylinders per day.

Basnet said empty cylinders from Kathmandu are being transported by trucks to LPG industries in the Terai, where they are being refilled through three-shift operations before being transported back to Kathmandu via the Tribhuvan Highway.

Meanwhile, MoICS has urged consumers who do not have an immediate need for LPG to avoid unnecessary queues and stockpiling.

The ministry has also instructed LPG distributors to prioritize consumers with only one cylinder, students living in rented accommodation, new mothers, pregnant women and low-income households.