Industry Minister complains noncooperation from gas entrepreneurs

Kathmandu: At a time when consumers are reported suffering for lack of cooking gas in the federal capital, Kathmandu, the line minister has herself complained of noncooperation of gas entrepreneurs in easing the essential supply.

Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Gauri Kumari Yadav, has rather argued the urgency of setting up a separate gas industry by Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) itself so that it would pave way for sustainable solution to cooking gas problem. The Minister also sought help from the parliamentary committee in her bid to ease the supply.

Minister Yadav shared before lawmakers in meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Industries, Commerce, Labour and Consumers’ Rights that she repeatedly wrote to the gas industries but there was no cooperation from the related industries.

“Our country requires two gas industries. The NOC must run a gas industry,” she said, adding that all 15 gas industries running in the country were not working under NOC. As the industrialists rebuffed ministry’s repeated requests for regular supply, improvement is still awaited, she briefed the lawmakers.

“If 58 gas industries had dispatched 3,000 bottled cylinders everyday to Kathmandu, the federal capital would not have seen such problems. But they did not,” Minister Yadav said, wondering, “Although 48,000 bottled cylinders had left for Kathmandu on Tuesday alone, only 19,000 cylinders were in the market. Where did the remaining bottled cylinder miss? None knows.”

She further said actual information on it is not shared. Nepal must be self sufficient on five essential things- cooking oil, gas, garments, food items and sugar. The Minister also complained of not getting proper assistance from government employees in making new laws and amending the old ones.

“The employees obstruct the revision of laws which are favorable to industrialists,” she shared plight. Minister Yadav however said import of readymade goods is cheaper than production within the country because it costs much for bringing raw materials from abroad. It is essential to amend the provisions on discount in import of raw materials for establishing industries.

Market monitoring has been intensified to curb black marketing and price hike in view of approaching festivals, according to the Minister.

Committee Chair Rahabar Ansari urged the ministry to forward works on legal reform for protecting consumers’ interest and curbing cartel and black marketing.

He also argued if 50-60 metric tonnes of sugar was imported from Thailand and Brazil on time, there would not have such scarcity. The government needs ending the trend of costly purchase of softwares used in government agencies.

RSS