LPG traders call 2-day strike from Thursday

 
The LP Gas Traders Cooperative Association Limited has announced a nationwide shutdown of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) shops on Thursday and Friday, demanding higher commissions, adequate supplies and an end to administrative harassment.

“All LP gas shops across the country will remain closed during the strike,” association President Md Selim Khan said at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club on Monday.

He said several companies had arbitrarily raised prices within days of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) fixing the monthly rates, stressing that any price change required the regulator’s approval.

Selim alleged that police frequently filed cases against traders and harassed them for failing to use mandatory safety railings on vehicles transporting cylinders, despite repeated appeals to government agencies.

He also criticised the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) and executive magistrates for imposing what he described as unjust fines, which he said damaged traders’ social standing.

Citing an example, he said a distributor in the Khulna-Bagerhat region had faced heavy fines and confiscation of goods for storing 40 additional cylinders.

The association leaders also highlighted an ongoing supply crisis caused by complications involving letters of credit (LCs), saying only a few companies were currently operating.

They urged the government to ensure that millions of idle cylinders were refilled by operational companies so that consumers could buy gas at fair prices.

During the briefing, BERC Chairman contacted the traders by phone and assured them that prompt steps would be taken to examine their demands and resolve the crisis, Selim said.