Kathmandu: Dairy products, including milk, curd and buttermilk, have reportedly become scarce at the Dairy Development Corporation (DDC) sales outlet inside Singha Durbar, the central administrative complex housing the Prime Minister’s Office.
The shortage has inconvenienced government employees and other consumers who visit the outlet to purchase daily dairy essentials. With the government offices reopening after the Dashain holiday, employees have reportedly been returning empty-handed after failing to find the products they need.
The DDC outlet, located within the Singha Durbar premises, has drawn attention because of the gap between the promotion of the state-owned dairy institution and the availability of its products at the point of sale.
Transformer Failure Disrupts Supply
According to the outlet, a power outage caused by a transformer explosion inside Singha Durbar has disrupted the preparation and supply of DDC dairy products.
Three transformers reportedly broke down around a week ago and had yet to be repaired, affecting electricity supply within the administrative complex. The outlet said the disruption had prevented it from preparing and supplying dairy products as usual.
The power failure has therefore been cited as the reason behind the shortage of milk, curd, buttermilk and other dairy items at the sales counter.
Questions Over Supply Management
The shortage has raised questions about the supply management and daily operations of a government-owned institution operating inside the country’s main administrative complex.
Milk, curd and buttermilk are essential consumer products, and regular availability is a key part of the responsibility of a public sales outlet. Consumers’ inability to obtain these items has prompted discussions about how the institution manages disruptions and maintains its services.
While the outlet has attributed the shortage to the transformer failure, the delay in repairing the electrical infrastructure has also become a concern for employees and consumers within Singha Durbar.
Employees Raise Concerns as Offices Reopen
With government offices resuming operations after the Dashain holidays, discussions about the shortage have reportedly increased in the DDC outlet, canteens and open spaces across Singha Durbar.
Some employees have questioned how a problem affecting the government’s own administrative complex has remained unresolved for about a week.
The situation has also brought attention to the need for timely maintenance of essential infrastructure and continuity of public services, particularly in government facilities.
The immediate challenge remains the restoration of electricity and the resumption of regular dairy production and supply at the DDC outlet. The outlet’s explanation points to the transformer failure as the main cause of the disruption, while the shortage has highlighted the impact that prolonged infrastructure problems can have on routine services inside Singha Durbar.