Ctg industries urge govt to set up two more gas pipe lines
Friday, 28 October 2011
Our Correspondent
CHITTAGONG, October 28: Entrepreneurs and trade leaders have demanded setting up two more pipe lines in Chittagong to ensure supply of gas to the factories.
The demand came at a press conference organised by Chittagong Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CMCCI) at its office in the city yesterday.
CMCCI vice president AM Mahbub Chowdhury spoke on behalf of the businesses while director Hakim Ali and CEO of the trade body M Solaiman responded.
They said production was suspended in more than 70 re-rolling mills, six CR coil mills and the paper mill Wednesday night after snapping gas supply at two hours' notice leaving thousands of workers to uncertainty just before Eid-ul-Azha.
The leaders alleged the distribution company KGDC has snapped gas lines of local industrial units while those located at Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) continued to get the same which they termed "discriminatory" action by the authority.
Trade leaders said Chittagong being the second largest city of the country is getting around 205 million cubic feet gas against its demand of over 400 mmcft from the distributor of Bakhrabad Gas only.
Mr Chowdhury said gas supply in Chittagong has fallen by 15-20 mmcft in the last 10 days on the plea from the KGDC that the supply from the national grid had reduced. Besides, the authority has diverted gas to the CUFL from re-rolling and power plants, which is "destructive for the national economy".
"Most of the major re-rolling mills are located in Chittagong, which has only one pipe line for gas supply while Dhaka is getting undisrupted gas supply from nine lines," he said.
The trade body suggested rather suspension of gas supply and shut production completely in the Chittagong Urea Fertilizer and KAFCO and import fertilizer to sustain production in the agriculture sector.