Government warns action against LPG dealers

KATHMANDU – The government is planning to take action against LP gas dealers as per the Supreme Court’s verdict and prevailing law if they did not withdraw demand related to carteling and syndicate system.

Talking to RSS, Director General at the Department of Commerce and Supply Management Naryan Prasad Bidari said demand related to syndicate and carteling system put forth by LP gas entrepreneurs are not possible to address.

“Nobody has a right to enforce strike in the delivery of essential services, ignoring the needs of consumers,” he said.A meeting between the government and gas entrepreneurs that ran till late night yesterday ended inconclusively as they remained stuck to their demands, said Director General Bidari.

Gas dealers have been asked to come for the next round of talk withdrawing the demand for syndicate and carteling system, according to Bidari.

He said that the government would be compelled to take action against them on the charge of affecting the supply of essential services, if they refused to budge from their stances. The demands of LPG entrepreneurs are not realistic since they undermine the competitive market and are not possible to meet at present, said Bidari.

LPG entrepreneurs in the country have presented a charter of 16 point demands including to make sure the syndicate and carteling system in LPG before the government.Similarly, Chairman of Gas Dealers Association Shiva Ghimire claimed that demands raised by the gas entrepreneurs are realistic and will not be withdrawn.

The LPG entrepreneurs have demanded that their commission be increased by five percent from the existing rate, permission from the LPG Industry Association Nepal should be mandatory to open new gas industries, mandatory recommendation of the association to fix the quota of gas and PDO in LPG. RSS