There is a Facebook group called “We, the People of Mohammadpur,” where local residents have been posting about gas shortages for weeks. On Saturday, Mohammadpur resident Robin Hasan wrote, “After paying Tk 1,080 in monthly gas bills, I still had to buy an LPG cylinder for Tk 2,500. There’s no one to see our suffering!”
Another resident from Mohammadpur, a housewife, Shaila Sharmin, said she bought a 12-kg cylinder for Tk 2,000. Sharmin Akter claimed she had to pay Tk 2,200 for a 12-kg cylinder, while another customer, Shamima Sultana, said she paid Tk 2,550 for the same amount.
More than 10 million people in the country use LPG.
To avoid shortages ahead of the national election and the holy month of Ramadan, the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources instructed last week that LPG imports be increased. Twelve LPG companies have pledged to bring in additional imports.
Average monthly demand stands at 150,000 to 160,000 tonnes. Import commitments for January are 167,600 tonnes, while for February they stand at 184,100 tonnes. About 80 per cent of LPG is used for cooking purposes.
Despite this, LPG supply in the market had not increased even by late January. Rawnak Jahan, a resident of Shyamoli in the capital, told Prothom Alo on Saturday that her LPG supply ran out at the beginning of the month.