LPG gas cylinders unavailable: Stoves go cold in many Chattogram homes

For the past three days, the kitchen stove in the home of Mohammad Saidul Islam, a resident of the Aturar Depot area of Chattogram city, has remained cold.

Ever since his liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder ran out, he has been running from shop to shop in search of a replacement, but without success.

On Thursday morning, Saidul Islam was found at an LPG outlet in the city’s Sholoshahar area. He had gone there in the hope of buying a cylinder, only to discover that sales had been suspended altogether.

A visibly frustrated Saidul told Prothom Alo, “For three days I’ve searched every shop around my home. There is no gas anywhere. They won’t sell it even if I offer to pay extra. Today I came three kilometres away and found the same situation.”

The crisis has become more than just an inconvenience for Saidul’s family, it is a source of deep anxiety. There is a sick child at home who regularly needs hot water. Leftover food cannot be served.

“I never imagined cooking would come to a complete halt like this,” Saidul said. “Otherwise, I would have bought an extra cylinder in advance.”

Mohammad Sohel, proprietor of Sohel Enterprise, an LPG retail outlet in Sholoshahar, said distributors have been unable to supply cylinders for the past week.

“Every day customers crowd the shop with empty cylinders, but we have nothing to give them,” he said.

Saidul’s plight is far from unique. Similar scenes are unfolding across different parts of the city, with LPG cylinders unavailable almost everywhere. Consumers are facing acute hardship, while food outlets that rely on cylinders for cooking have also been forced to shut down their stoves.

The situation has worsened following the announcement by the LP gas traders’ cooperative association ltd. that LPG cylinder sales would be halted from Thursday morning.

The association launched the programme in protest against several issues, including the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission’s (BERC) latest price adjustment and what it describes as harassment and fines imposed on distributors by the administration.

The association has warned that if its demands are not met within 24 hours, LPG supply and sales will be suspended indefinitely nationwide.

Earlier on Wednesday morning, traders held a press conference in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka to outline their position.

Later that night, association president Selim Khan said sales would remain suspended from Thursday morning. A meeting with BERC is scheduled for this afternoon.

“If a solution emerges from the meeting, sales will resume. Otherwise, the suspension will continue,” he warned.

BERC adjusts LPG prices on a monthly basis. The most recent price announcement was made on 4 January.

Traders allege that prices were fixed without any consultation with distributors. Instead of addressing the supply crisis, they say, the authorities have fuelled controversy over prices.

Enforcement drives by consumer rights bodies have created panic in the market, forcing many traders to shut down their businesses, they added.

Mohammad Tamim, a resident of Hamzarbagh, said gas at his home suddenly ran out yesterday. Since then, his family has been relying entirely on restaurant food.

Speaking in the gate No. 2 area today while searching for a cylinder, he said he had already spent Tk 500 on transport alone. “Still, there is no gas anywhere. No one can say when it will be available again.”

Mohammad Ayub from Agrabad alleged that large companies are withholding supply. “A powerful syndicate is controlling the market. There is no one to see the suffering of consumers,” he said.

The LPG crisis has dealt a direct blow to small and large food outlets across the city. Hotels, restaurants and mobile food stalls, many of which depend almost entirely on LPG, have been forced to stop cooking altogether. Some are operating on a limited menu, while others have closed early due to the lack of alternative fuel.

Several food vendors in Chawkbazar and the gate No. 2 area said their daily sales had dropped sharply.

Visits to at least 10 shops in Sholoshahar, gate Two No. 2, Chawkbazar and Aturar Depot revealed that none were selling cylinders. Shopkeepers said distributors were not supplying gas.

Muhammad Ali Azam, owner of Messrs Mohammadiya Trading in the gate No. 2 area, said distributors have halted supply citing a decline in LPG imports.

“The crisis has been going on for about a week. Distributors are saying the situation may improve towards the end of the month,” he said.

Retailer Dipak Biswas said it has become difficult even to cover shop rent and workers’ wages. “We are not getting gas at government-set prices. How are we supposed to sell anything?” he asked.

One distributor, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Prothom Alo that they are not receiving cylinders from the companies themselves.

Describing the LPG crisis as artificial, SM Nazer Hossain, vice-president of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), said there is no import shortage in the country and import costs have actually fallen. “Yet traders have created an artificial crisis,” he said.

“Consumers are suffering immensely. The government must resolve this situation immediately,” he added.