The New Indian Express ·
Nepal’s Commerce and Industry Minister resigns; third resignation from Balen Shah’s cabinet
Nepal’s Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Gauri Kumari Yadav, has resigned from Prime Minister Balendra “Balen” Shah’s cabinet following mounting criticism over remarks she made during a parliamentary committee meeting.
Yadav reportedly submitted her resignation directly to Prime Minister Shah amid an ongoing shortage of cooking gas, or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), in the Kathmandu Valley. The shortage has been attributed to transport disruptions and damaged roads, which have affected the distribution of essential supplies.
During the parliamentary committee meeting, Yadav sharply criticized LPG plant owners and gas-sector entrepreneurs over the supply crisis. She reportedly threatened to revoke the operating licenses of all 58 LPG companies in the country and used forceful language, saying she would bring gas industrialists “to heel” and “tie their hands behind their backs.”
According to ANI, Yadav said it was embarrassing for the country that consumers were unable to obtain cooking gas even after paying for it. She accused gas companies of no longer complying with directives from the government and Nepal Oil Corporation.
“In a country like ours, we don’t need more than two gas companies. At most, two would be enough; all of them should be revoked,” Yadav said.
“I have also pleaded with all of them to make gas supplies smooth. Even after bringing all the gas operators together and pleading with them, it seems nothing works.”
Yadav also said gas cylinders sent to Kathmandu Valley were disappearing before reaching the market. “We sent 48,000 cylinders to Kathmandu the other day, but no one here has received more than 19,000 or 20,000. Where did the rest go? No one knows,” she said.
“They don’t provide them even when we ask. The Nepal Oil Corporation may have written to them 10 times, but they haven’t supplied even once. Is the Nepal Oil Corporation involved in this, or is the government involved?”
Saying that relying on the private sector had resulted in a betrayal, Yadav said Nepal Oil Corporation should establish and operate its own gas companies.
Yadav is the third minister to resign from Balendra Shah’s government, which was formed in late March this year.
(With inputs from ANI)