Without the necessary legal arrangements and sufficient homework, the government has started preparations to introduce large gas cylinders with a capacity of 450 kg. Nepal Ayal Nigam has started preparing internally to bring the large capacity cylinder into use while there is not much work to be done regarding the safe use and possible risk management of the 14.2 kg capacity gas cylinder currently in use.

For this, the board of directors of the corporation has decided to give the responsibility to the weighing department to study whether there is a need for large cylinders.

Manoj Thakur, spokesperson of Nepal Oil Corporation, admitted that a committee has been formed in the Quality and Weights and Measures Department regarding the implementation of large cylinders. He said that after the approval of the quality department, the regulations will be amended and permission will be given to bring the big cylinders into use. Currently, there is a provision in the regulations that only 14.2 kg cylinders can be allowed for use. The board of directors of the corporation has formed a committee under the coordination of the department of weights and measures to determine whether the country needs it or not," Thakur said. "If the state deems it necessary, it will be implemented." Regarding the petroleum and explosion act, he said that the state will bring it rather than the corporation.

Experts say that without sufficient study, legal basis and standards, big cylinders are being implemented for the interests of limited industrialists and if that happens, it will cause a big risk. Currently, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply and the Nepal Oil Corporation, which are not interested in the Petroleum Business Act, Standards, and Blasting Department, say that the government is not sensitive to this issue as it is their homework to bring 450 kg capacity gas cylinders. 

According to LP Gas Industry Association, there are 59 gas industries across the country. According to the gas cylinder certification done by Nepal Oil Corporation in 078, there are 14.4 million cylinders of 14.2 kg throughout the country. But the regulatory body has not paid much attention to the condition of these cylinders.

The condition of gas business, which consumes about 33 million cylinders per month, is even more chaotic. Standards are not fully enforced in the industry from gas refilling to sellers. The situation of common people is also the same, they are careless in gas usage. For this reason, experts say that gas leakage and explosions are happening. 

'Big cylinders are needed in limited areas, but the first priority was to bring laws and procedures to make them organized. There is no explosion department in Nepal," said Dharmraj Bertaula, adviser of LP Gas Industry Association, "There is a big risk if big cylinders are allowed to be used in hotels and restaurants without applying the law. Big cylinders are like bombs, when consumers do not know how to use even a 14.2 kg cylinder properly, it will cause more problems if they are used in large quantities.''

Corporation has given permission to market 14.2 kg cylinders as per LP Gas Regulations 2065. Subsection 3 (f) of section 3 provides theoretical permission for 5 kg cylinders in hilly and high mountain areas and 19 kg cylinders for commercial purposes, but currently only 14.2 kg cylinders are in use.

'The 14.2 kg cylinder explodes while executing, causing a lot of damage. In the case of big cylinders, there is an even bigger risk, it is very dangerous when it is implemented without preparation,' said one of the working committee members of the association, 'more than 30 industries out of 59 gas industries in Nepal are against big cylinders,' according to that industrialist, two years ago, some industrialists had already marketed big cylinders. They also sold cylinders of 19, 42.5 and 450 kg in non-standard industries, hotels, restaurants, etc. Even though they marketed themselves without the law, the regulatory body corporation and the quality department were not interested. 

After talking about the unauthorized use of large cylinders in the parliament, the corporation directed to market only the specified weight. "After the corporation gave instructions to close it, it stopped for some time, it has been closed for one-and-a-half years," said the industrialist, "now the campaign has started to bring it in a legal form." Experts say that if there are standards, it will be clear about the quality of the plate, the thickness of the cylinder plate, etc. They say that if there is no adequate hydraulic test of the 14.2 kg cylinder, the bigger cylinder will be more of a challenge. 

In the present gas industry, there is an arrangement to test the condition of the cylinder (hydraulic/hydrostatic pressure test) after 10 years of the cylinder being made, then every five/five years and then every three/three years. But currently 

Even though the provision is not being implemented, neither the government has regulated it nor action has been taken. The government is silent even when the industries send the cylinders to the market with only color instead of testing. That's why the gas cylinder of every house is like a bomb.  

'Cylinders currently in use are not effectively tested. There was no effective work to alert the general public from the vendors. What will be the situation if big cylinders are implemented,' another gas industrialist said, 'In the third week of last March, there has been an internal agreement between the gas industry, the corporation and the ministry to bring big cylinders. 

Some friends of the association are not in a hurry, but some friends are putting pressure on the ministry.'' He says that it is wrong to act in the vested interests of some industries to the detriment of common consumers.

The first priority of the government is to give standards, if the standards are to be made in a hurry and bring in big cylinders, there is a possibility that 40 to 60 percent of the vendors will be displaced. How safe is a big cylinder, one should keep in mind," said a vendor, "Commercial houses are in the middle of the city. Care must be taken in case of an accident. Don't make hasty decisions and regret them at leisure. In terms of security, a study team should be formed at the highest level and the standards should be implemented.