CNG station owners threaten strike from Oct 30
Owners of compressed natural gas (CNG) refuelling stations have threatened to enforce indefinite strike from October 30 if their demands -- including reduction of road rentals fees and scrapping government move to increase CNG price -- are not met by this time.
They came up with the announcement at a press conference at the Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association office in Dhaka this evening.
“All the CNG refilling stations will observe nonstop strike from 6:00am on October 30 until the demands are fulfilled,” said Masud Khan, president of the association, while addressing the press conference.
He also said the authorities concerned (govt) will have to take the responsibilities if any untoward incident takes place.
In the last couple of years, the association had repeatedly petitioned to the government bodies concerned for fulfilling their demands, but the government did not pay heed to them. So, they have no alternative to enforce the strike, he said.
Meanwhile, petrol pump owners at a press conference on October 19 announced indefinite strike from 6:00am on October 30, to press home their 12-point demands-- mainly reduction of road rentals fees, the same demand made by CNG refuelling station owners.
As per rule, all the petrol pumps and CNG refuelling stations have to pay a particular amount of rental fees to the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) for using spaces that connect the stations and the road. The fees are set on the basis of the amount of spaces.
But the RHD in October last year ‘abnormally’ increased the fees and imposed other charges, they claimed.
For example, a refuelling station previously had to pay around Tk 53,000 annually for using 24 decimal of lands of RHD. But the same station now has to pay around Tk 11.28 lakhs annually.
“Business of CNG refuelling stations and petrol pump owners are now about to be closed following the government decision,” said Masud Khan yesterday.
Their another demand of scrapping government’s move to increase CNG price came as the gas distributor companies have recently proposed the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) to increase CNG price by around 83 percent and the BERC already held a public hearing on it.
The current price of CNG is Tk 35 per cubic metre.
Talking to The Daily Star on October 19, State Minister for Energy and Power Nasrul Hamid said the government would examine the demands raised by the pump owners. If the demands are logical then government will meet the demands.