DHAKA, July 21: The Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association has announced an 18-hour nationwide shutdown of CNG filling stations on July 30 unless the government increases the sales commission on CNG.
The association is demanding that the commission be raised from the current Tk 8 per cubic meter to Tk 13.96 per cubic meter, citing rising operational costs and years of unmet commitments.
The announcement was made at a press conference held on Tuesday at the association’s office in Akram Tower in the capital. Amiruzzaman Chowdhury, convener of the steering committee formed to implement the movement, read out a written statement.
According to the announcement, all CNG filling stations across the country will remain closed from 6:00 am to 12:00 midnight on July 30. If the demand is not met, the association warned that it will launch an indefinite nationwide strike from August 23.
Association President Manoranjan Bhakta, Secretary General Farhan Noor and other central leaders were present at the press conference.
The association said the prolonged shortage of adequate gas pressure has significantly increased operating costs, as filling stations are forced to consume more electricity to compress gas for distribution. Despite these additional expenses, the commission has remained unchanged for years.
The leaders noted that they have been negotiating with the government over the issue since 2013, but repeated assurances have not resulted in any concrete action. Following a strike in 2013, a government committee recommended increasing the commission by Tk 1.98 per cubic meter, but only Tk 1 was eventually approved.
They argued that subsequent increases in electricity tariffs, depreciation of the local currency and higher operating expenses have made the current commission financially unsustainable. According to the association, an additional Tk 2.46 per cubic meter is required to offset higher electricity costs, while Tk 3.50 is needed to cover other operational expenses, bringing the total required increase to Tk 5.96 per cubic meter.
The association warned that without a revision of the commission structure, many CNG filling stations would find it increasingly difficult to continue operations, potentially affecting the country’s CNG supply network.
