KATHMANDU: Authorities and LP gas entrepreneurs have initiated alternative measures to transport cooking gas cylinders into Kathmandu Valley using trucks, following the complete blockage of the Nagdhunga-Muglin road section caused by severe flooding coming from the China side. Because standard gas bullets are currently unable to reach the capital over the blocked highway, alternative transportation plans are being developed to prevent a critical shortage of cooking gas for consumers in the valley.

Discussions regarding the alternative logistics were conducted in Hetauda during a special meeting organized at the District Administration Office in Makwanpur. Stakeholders discussed filling cylinders at LP gas bottling plants operating outside Kathmandu and transporting them via secondary routes, including Kanti Rajpath and Tribhuvan Rajpath. The meeting was attended by the Chief District Officer, the Superintendent of Police, representatives from the Road Division, executive members of the Narayani Truck Entrepreneurs Association, and LP gas business operators.

Nagendra Shah, the executive director of Nepal Oil Corporation, informed that this alternative approach was brought forward because gas supply disruptions started appearing in Kathmandu Valley following the closure of the main highway. Shah stated that preparations are underway to fill cooking gas cylinders at various processing plants outside Kathmandu and send them continuously to the capital by truck. Shah also shared that around 4,000 gas cylinders bottled outside Kathmandu were brought into the capital on Tuesday.

Because it remains uncertain when the main road will reopen following the flood damage, local administration officials and entrepreneurs are working together to maintain the supply of cooking gas to consumers. The participants at the Hetauda meeting are finalizing decisions regarding the transportation of cylinders by truck, alongside necessary security arrangements and measures to keep the alternative road routes smooth and accessible.