45 licenses confiscated from hoteliers failing to use commercial cylinders

45LicenseConficated-WhiteGasHoteliers and restaurateurs are unhappy after the Trade and Industry officials confiscated their licenses. The licenses were confiscated after they were found breaching the economic affairs ministry’s regulation that requires them to use commercial cylinders commonly known as ‘BIG gas’. BIG stands for Bhutan Industrial Gas.

Dema, a hotelier said she bought two white cylinders (BIG gas) at Nu. 8,010. “I couldn’t contact the agent for a refill and I had to use the domestic cylinder. That was when the officials came and took away my licence.”

The officials confiscated 45 licenses during a daily routine on Friday and that has infuriated many hoteliers. Many say it is too expensive.

“For small hoteliers like us, white cylinder is too expensive. It costs more than Nu. 4,000 to buy a new cylinder. We have to again pay extra to refill. How are we to sustain small business like ours?” said a restaurateur, Chimi Dorji.

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…Hoteliers and restaurateurs are those who do the menial business. They come and take your licenses because you failed to comply with the rules for just that one day.”

Kado Dukpa,
Hotelier

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Another restaurateur, Phurba Tenzin, said they can easily refill four domestic cylinders with the same amount they use to fill one white cylinder.

It costs Nu. 2,000 to refill a white cylinder, three times more expensive than a domestic cylinder. A white cylinder weighs 19 kilograms, only four kilograms more than a domestic cylinder.

The Regional Director of Department of Trade and Industry, Dongtu, said the high price is because they are taxed from India, from where LPGs are imported.

The commercial cylinders were introduced in November last year after the shortage of domestic cylinders was attributed to hoteliers and restaurateurs owning large number of domestic cylinders.

A record with the Trade and Industry Department shows Thimphu alone consumes about 18,000 LPG cylinders in a month. Bhutan receives about 50,000 cylinders per month.

 

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