‎Severe gas shortage disrupts life in Chandpur, CNG drivers block road ‎

‎A severe gas shortage has disrupted transportation and daily life in Chandpur, prompting CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers to block a road demanding uninterrupted gas supplies.
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‎Gas supplies to CNG filling stations across the district were suspended from Friday morning (August 14), leaving vehicles stranded in long queues.
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‎At around noon, a group of CNG auto-rickshaw drivers blocked the Chandpur-Comilla road in front of the Hajiganj HB Filling Station for nearly half an hour in protest against the shortage.
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‎Drivers of CNG-run auto-rickshaws, buses and private cars have reportedly been waiting in long queues since the previous night to collect gas. Many said they had to spend the entire night waiting at filling stations.
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‎The shortage has reduced drivers’ daily earnings, while the number of vehicles on major roads in the district has declined and passenger fares have increased.
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‎The drivers later withdrew the blockade following intervention by the local administration.
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‎The gas shortage has also affected households, forcing residents to rely on hotels and alternative cooking arrangements.
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‎Gazi Nasir, a resident of Hajiganj municipality, said, “There is no gas during the day. Often, we have to cook at night. Otherwise, we have to make alternative arrangements.”
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‎Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Limited attributed the shortage to reduced gas supplies at the national level.
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‎Mir Fazle Rabbi, manager of the Chandpur regional office, said the gas crisis was a national problem. He explained that disruptions in supply from the LNG terminals had reduced gas availability nationwide, resulting in low pressure in Chandpur.
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‎He said gas supplies in Chandpur would return to normal once the national-level supply situation improves.

-HIS