6-month deadline to prospective CNG-fillers

The government decided to revoke licences of the enterprises that will fail to set up CNG-filling stations in six months.

The decision taken on Wednesday at a meeting of the communications ministry came after the shortage of gas stations in the city left the CNG-run auto-rickshaws in crisis.

The government will also confiscate Tk 25 lakh in deposits from the entrepreneurs.

At present, 11 CNG stations are operating in the city and nine others will be installed by the middle of this year, the meeting was told.

State Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources AKM Mosharraf Hossain, Communications Minister Nazmul Huda and State Minister for Communications Salahuddin Ahmed, among others, attended the meeting.

Earlier, the government received applications from 39 enterprises to set up filling stations on the land belonging to the Bangladesh Railway and the Roads and Highways Department on long-term lease.

The government permitted seven companies to set up stations.

Meanwhile, an inter-ministerial committee started working on a report identifying the ways of handing land over to the enterprises. The report will be submitted in ten days, said sources.

Wednesday's meeting also decided to permit the Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited (RPGCL) to set up a CNG conversion plant and filling station on the eastern side of the Osmani Udyan.

The RPGCL will set up six filling stations in the city this year.