Urja Khabar
KATHMANDU; The government has appointed Nagendra Sah as the Managing Director of the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), ending a leadership vacuum that had persisted for nearly three months.
A Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday approved Sah's appointment to lead the state-owned petroleum monopoly. The post had remained vacant since May 13, when former Managing Director Chandika Prasad Bhatta resigned. Since then, Sah had been serving as the acting managing director.
A chartered accountant from Nagrain Municipality-3 in Dhanusha, Sah has nearly two decades of experience at the Nepal Oil Corporation, having served the organization for 19 years. He secured the top position ahead of two other shortlisted candidates—Kaushal KC and Sanjeev Kumar Dev—recommended by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies.
Sah assumes office at a critical time for the corporation. His immediate priority will be addressing the ongoing shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which has forced consumers across the country to wait in long queues for cooking gas.
Beyond restoring a stable LPG supply, Sah is also expected to strengthen the financial health of the corporation. NOC has been facing mounting financial pressures since the outbreak of the Middle East conflict, which has disrupted global energy markets and increased the cost of petroleum imports.
His leadership will be closely watched as the corporation seeks to improve fuel supply management, maintain market stability, and navigate the challenges posed by volatile international oil prices.
