The Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association has issued an ultimatum demanding the implementation of a four-point charter, including an increase in the sales commission on CNG. The association announced that if its demands are not met, it will observe a nationwide symbolic strike on July 30, followed by an indefinite shutdown of all CNG filling stations from August 23.
The announcement was made at a press conference held on Tuesday at the association’s office in Bijoynagar, Dhaka. Amiruzzaman Chowdhury, Convener of the Steering Committee formed to implement the programme, read out the written statement. Association President Manoranjan Bhakta, Secretary General Farhan Noor, and other central leaders were also present.
According to the association, CNG filling stations have been receiving a commission of Tk 8 per cubic metre of CNG sold since September 1, 2015. Over the past nearly 11 years, electricity and gas prices have increased several times, while high inflation has significantly raised workers’ wages, bank guarantee commissions, loan interest rates, the exchange rate of the US dollar, and other operating expenses. However, the commission has remained unchanged, leaving most filling stations operating at a loss.
The association has placed the following four demands:
Increase the commission on CNG sales from Tk 8 to at least Tk 13.96 per cubic metre.
Introduce an automatic mechanism to adjust the commission whenever fuel prices are increased.
Abolish the practice of collecting additional security deposits from existing customers following gas price hikes.
Rationalise lease charges for Roads and Highways Department land, as well as licence and renewal fees imposed by various government agencies.
Under the announced programme, all CNG filling stations across the country will observe a symbolic strike from 6:00 am to 12:00 midnight on July 30, while keeping the door open for discussions with the government. If no meaningful progress is made, all CNG filling stations nationwide will remain closed indefinitely from August 23.
The association’s leaders alleged that despite repeated attempts to discuss the issue with the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources and the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), they have received no positive response.
They also noted that a high-level technical committee formed earlier by the ministry and Petrobangla had recommended increasing the commission by Tk 2.98 per cubic metre. However, in 2015, BERC approved only a Tk 1 increase in the commission, while the remaining recommendations were left unimplemented. Since both the purchase and retail prices of CNG are fixed by the government, station owners have no scope to pass the rising operational costs on to consumers.