Already late

Rather than letting the fuel crisis get worse, the switch to election options must be accelerated.

Geopolitical tensions in West Asia, which erupted a month ago, have pushed fuel prices upward worldwide, including in Nepal. The early days of the war saw the rush to get liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders and long lines. For those who rely on them, the gas crisis resulted in a sense of déjà vu . After all, when India had imposed a four-and-a-half-month-long blockade in 2015, they had endured the worst LPG shortage in their memory. But the blockade also led many Nepalis to opt for electric cooking stoves. Now, fearing the gas crisis, even those who didn’t use induction hobs previously are buying them. As a result, unlike before, long queues for LPG are less common, particularly in urban areas where people have become accustomed to electric cooking. But the need to push for an electric transition in cooking by expanding the momentum across the country has never been more urgent.