CNG stations closed 5-11pm in Ramadan

The government has rescheduled the opening hours of compressed natural gas (CNG) filling stations across the country during Ramadan to ensure better electricity supply during peak hours.

Under the new schedule, all CNG filling stations in Bangladesh will remain closed from 5pm to 11pm from 1st Ramadan to 26th Ramadan (on April 6), instead of 6 pm to 11pm, according to a directive of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division (EMRD) under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MPEMR).

The CNG filling stations will remain open for 24 hours a day from April 7 to April 18 to ensure smooth plying of vehicles during Eid-ul-Fitr.

From April 19, the operation time of the CNG filling stations will be shifted again to 6 pm to 11pm until further order, the directive concluded.

"The government's new order over rescheduling of the country's CNG filling stations will not have any significant impact due to the gas supply shortfall," said General Secretary of Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association Farhan Noor.

Gas pressure in most of the CNG filling stations is below 5 psi (per square inch) instead of the expected psi of 15, he lamented. The natural gas pressure in most areas except the industrial zones is far below, he added.

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