It is 7am. The sky is overcast and it is extremely cold. A long disorderly line of people are waiting in front of the Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) depot in Motithang in Thimphu. They all have an empty cylinder or two in front of them.
This is scene that greets the passersby every morning.
The people had come to get LGP cooking gas. Of late it has become difficult to get the all-too-important LPG cooking gas.
“I came around 9:30 in the morning twice and had to go back home empty handed. So, I came here around 8am. But many had already arrived at 7am. For hoteliers like us, it is difficult,” said Dawa Tshering.
According to Kinzang Choden, the manager, the depot receives 13 truckloads of cylinders every week.
“Every day we receive two truck loads. Each truck carries 231 cylinders. In total we get 462 cylinders. But this is not enough due to the growing population.”
Every day more than 500 customers come to the depot to get LPG cooking gas.