The looming threat of strike by CNG pump owners
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
THE owners of the compressed natural gas (CNG) filling stations have reportedly decided to enforce their non-stop strike from November 01 next. This decision followed the rejection of their demand for lifting the government order relating to six-hour closure of the filling stations between 3pm and 9pm everyday by the high officials of the Petrobangla, the state energy corporation, at a meeting held last Sunday. The government issued the closure order as part of its move to offset partially the chronic energy crisis.
If the CNG filling stations go out of operation from the first day of the next month as planned by their owners, the traffic movement within and outside Dhaka would be seriously affected, leading to sufferings of the commuters. And in all probability, the prices of many essentials that have already gone beyond the reach of the common man might even leap further up. Nearly 95 per cent of the motor vehicles, private or public, are now CNG-run. So, the non-availability of this cheap and environment-friendly fuel is bound to create a chaotic situation. Except for a few owners of private vehicles who can afford the use of expensive liquid fuel, generally octane, others would be forced either to walk or hire manually-driven rickshaws to reach their destinations. The rickshaw fares have already gone high and it is a certainty that those would make yet another jump in the event of a CNG pump strike.
All concerned have raised questions about the usefulness of the government restriction on the fulltime operation of the CNG pumps from the very day the order was put into effect. The vehicle owners have been vocal about the sufferings they have to endure everyday for getting their gas tanks filled up and CNG pump-owners about their financial losses. Most city roads are now incapable of holding the ever-increasing number of motor vehicles. The long queues before the CNG stations have made the situation even worse. The traffic police are finding it hard to manage traffic movement through these points during peak hours.
In fact, the six-hour suspension of operation would not have created that much of inconvenience had there been an uninterrupted supply of power and gas to the CNG filling stations. The pumps remain out of operation for almost half of the remaining 18 hours of the day for load-shedding and inadequate gas pressure. The association of the CNG stations has claimed that a paltry 2.0 per cent of the total piped gas is consumed by them and a six-hour closure of filling stations does not save any significant volume of gas that can be diverted to power plants or industries. Besides, it is hard to overlook the financial losses that the CNG pump owners have been suffering since the government order was enforced. In addition to meeting the operational costs, the owners have to service their bank debts.
It is expected that the government would immediately take all the relevant issues into consideration, invite the CNG pump owners for fresh talks and try to solve their genuine grievances so that the latter may not need to enforce a total and indefinite shutdown. It would also be proper on the part of the administration to lessen the sufferings that the vehicle owners, who are not organized under any particular association, have to undergo at the CNG filling stations.
If the CNG filling stations go out of operation from the first day of the next month as planned by their owners, the traffic movement within and outside Dhaka would be seriously affected, leading to sufferings of the commuters. And in all probability, the prices of many essentials that have already gone beyond the reach of the common man might even leap further up. Nearly 95 per cent of the motor vehicles, private or public, are now CNG-run. So, the non-availability of this cheap and environment-friendly fuel is bound to create a chaotic situation. Except for a few owners of private vehicles who can afford the use of expensive liquid fuel, generally octane, others would be forced either to walk or hire manually-driven rickshaws to reach their destinations. The rickshaw fares have already gone high and it is a certainty that those would make yet another jump in the event of a CNG pump strike.
All concerned have raised questions about the usefulness of the government restriction on the fulltime operation of the CNG pumps from the very day the order was put into effect. The vehicle owners have been vocal about the sufferings they have to endure everyday for getting their gas tanks filled up and CNG pump-owners about their financial losses. Most city roads are now incapable of holding the ever-increasing number of motor vehicles. The long queues before the CNG stations have made the situation even worse. The traffic police are finding it hard to manage traffic movement through these points during peak hours.
In fact, the six-hour suspension of operation would not have created that much of inconvenience had there been an uninterrupted supply of power and gas to the CNG filling stations. The pumps remain out of operation for almost half of the remaining 18 hours of the day for load-shedding and inadequate gas pressure. The association of the CNG stations has claimed that a paltry 2.0 per cent of the total piped gas is consumed by them and a six-hour closure of filling stations does not save any significant volume of gas that can be diverted to power plants or industries. Besides, it is hard to overlook the financial losses that the CNG pump owners have been suffering since the government order was enforced. In addition to meeting the operational costs, the owners have to service their bank debts.
It is expected that the government would immediately take all the relevant issues into consideration, invite the CNG pump owners for fresh talks and try to solve their genuine grievances so that the latter may not need to enforce a total and indefinite shutdown. It would also be proper on the part of the administration to lessen the sufferings that the vehicle owners, who are not organized under any particular association, have to undergo at the CNG filling stations.