CNG pump owners threaten strike

CNG fuel station owners on Saturday threatened to go on strike if the government fails to meet the 5-point recommendation made by a high-level Energy Ministry Committee to solve their problems.

“We’ll wait until our next meeting on Saturday next. If, by this time, steps are not taken to meet our demands, we will go for greater action programmes, including strike”, Zakir Hossain Nayon, president of the Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association told a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity.

Zakir said that the recommendations were drawn up by a high level committee headed by an additional secretary of the Energy Ministry, which was formed by the government following an understanding with the Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association at one stage of their movement last year.

He said the Energy Ministry forwarded the recommendations to the state-owned Petrobangla asking its subordinate body to implement those. It has been now the jurisdiction and responsibility of the Petrobangla to implement them.

“But unfortunately the Peyrobangla chairman is not taking steps to implement those for unknown reasons although 5 months have already gone after the recommendations were sent to him”, he said.

Zakir said they can’t afford to continue their business because of increased operational cost of the CNG pumps by the power tariff hike.

“Power tariff was raised by 67 percent and CNG price was raised by 70 percent in last 4 years without any raise in our commission on sales. We’re suffering losses,” he said, according to UNB.