CNG station owners threaten to go on strike
Owners of CNG filling stations yesterday threatened to go on an indefinite strike soon unless the government increases their commission.
“We will have to go hardline as many CNG filling station owners are incurring losses due to a rise in electricity costs,” said Zakir Hossain Nayon, president of Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association.
The platform will announce the date of the strike after a meeting with its 585 members next Saturday.
Over the last four years, the government has increased the electricity prices by 67 percent without raising the owners' commissions.
As a result, the filling stations have to bear an additional cost of Tk 1.12 for each square foot of gas, he said at a press conference at the office of Dhaka Reporters Unity.
He said the power and energy ministry has recommended an increase in the profit margin of CNG filling stations to Tk 2.98 from Tk 0.12 for each square foot of gas.
“But it cannot be implemented due to Petrobangla,” Nayon said. Currently, the CNG filling stations buy per square foot of gas at Tk 23 and sell it at Tk 30. Their profit margin is very low as they also pay Tk 2.40 as electricity cost for each square foot of gas and bear costs for salaries, bank interest and maintenance, according to Nayon.
Comments