Strike at CNG pump stations likely from June 8 as talks fail

CNG refueling station owners are going to enforce a nonstop countrywide strike as their meeting with state-owned Petrobangla ended inconclusively on Monday, reports UNB.

After over an hour-long meeting, president of Bangladesh CNG Filling  Station and Conversion Workshop Owners' Association Zakir Hossain Nayan said they would enforce the strike as per their earlier announcement made on May 24 to realise their five-point demand.

"The Petrobangla chairman didn't agree to accept our demands although a high-level Energy Ministry committee recommended necessary steps to accept those," Zakir Hossain told the news agency after the meeting.

Their demands are raising CNG (compressed natural gas) price when power tariff is raised, enhancing station owners' commission margin to Tk 2.98 from Tk 0.12 on the sale of per cubic metre of CNG, issuing 15 days' gas bill instead of monthly bill by gas companies, putting forward the issue of new gas connection to 54 CNG refueling stations to a high-level committee, and taking measures to install EVC meters at CNG stations.

About the meeting, Petrobangla Chairman Dr Hussain Monsur informed  UNB that he has sought clear directives from the Energy Ministry through a letter, dated on May 27, but there has been no response.

"The 5-point demand is related with the government overall gas pricing policy. That's why we sought required directives over the issue," he said adding that it is beyond his jurisdiction to increase or decrease the CNG price.

Earlier in the morning, leaders of the association held a meeting with Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC).