LPG cylinder crisis hits Sylhet
SA Shofiee, Sylhet :
The LPG cylinder crisis is not ending despite various government initiatives. Fearing raids, shops are being closed and home delivery is being done strategically. Excess prices are being charged. Ordinary consumers in Sylhet are suffering. Although fines have been imposed in scattered raids by the Consumer Rights Act, there is no monitoring by the administration. As a result, there is anarchy going on with LPG in Sylhet.
It has been found that companies are not taking LPG cylinders for refilling. As a result, the number of cylinders is piling up in shop godowns. If the cylinders of the closed companies are refilled by other companies, losses have to be counted. Excess prices are being charged to overcome these losses.
Meanwhile, there is a fear that the LPG crisis will intensify further. Retailers say that there is pressure from various companies on us not to talk about the gas crisis. As a result, we cannot talk about it. In some cases, they are also saying that they will not supply gas. Although dealers have informed that supply is increasing in the Sylhet market. However, when talking to retailers, this is not true.
It was learned from talking to some retail LPG sellers in Sylhet city that neither the government nor the companies admit that there is a shortage of LPG cylinders in the country. However, the supply has been reduced. The sellers say that empty cylinders of various companies are being accumulated in their shops and godowns.
The companies are not taking back these cylinders if they want to return them. The companies are saying that LPG is being purchased. Cylinders will be taken for refilling as soon as the ship arrives.
When talking to several leading LPG distributors in Sylhet, it was learned that the empty cylinders have to be returned to the company from which they buy gas. They do not take empty cylinders from other companies. That is, if a customer buys a cylinder from one company once, he has to take gas from that company if he wants to buy it again. But there is not enough space for so many empty cylinders.
Therefore, if he wants to buy cylinder gas from another company, he has to pay extra. Currently, there are cylinders from many companies in the market. But no one is refilling them. This is also why the price of gas is high.
Abdur Rahim, a retail LPG cylinder seller in Bagbari, said, “The company I used to do business with is not refilling LPG. We have to buy LPG from a different company to sustain our business.”
He said that distributors are saying that they will not take back any empty bottles. We have to buy only the company that has gas, along with the cylinder. In this case, an empty bottle, which normally costs 800 taka, is now being bought for 1,400 to 1,600 taka.
The businessman said that suppliers have said that the crisis will end soon. Some companies have increased the import of LPG.
It is known that the government fixed the new price of cylinder gas on January 4. The price of a 12-kg cylinder of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at the consumer level in the country was increased by 53 taka to 1,306 taka. The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) announced this price of LPG for the month of January. Earlier, in December, the price of a 12 kg LPG cylinder was fixed at 1,253 taka.
It has been learned that even before the announcement of the official price, chaos started regarding cylinders across the country. Cylinders priced at 1,300 taka were sold for up to 2,300 taka. After that, the Department of Consumer Rights Protection conducted a drive in Sylhet like the rest of the country. A few shops were fined. This changed the scenario. The shops closed and the cylinders were sold. That strategy is still continuing.
Meanwhile, LPG operator companies have informed Energy Advisor Fawzul Kabir Khan about the target of two months of import to overcome the crisis before Ramadan.
On Wednesday (January 22) afternoon, the operators met with the Energy Advisor to resolve the ongoing crisis. There, they informed that they would import a total of 3,51,700 tons of LPG in two months (January and February).
In the meeting, the Energy Advisor said, ‘The commitment given by the operators to import LPG in January and February should be reflected in reality. The government will also provide all kinds of support for this purpose.
Related sources said that the Energy Department has officially given in-principle approval to BPC to increase the import volume.
The advisor said that permission has been given to BPC to import LPG. Verbal instructions have already been given to the BPC chairman to start the process. A formal letter is also being sent.
Despite all this, the customers are not getting any benefit so far. On Thursday, it was learned from some customers that they bought 12 kg cylinders for 1700 taka. Somewhere it is being sold at a higher price.
Md. Kamal Hossain, the owner of Sylhet’s leading LPG cylinder distributor, Messrs. Kamal Enterprise, said, “The supply of LPG cylinders in Sylhet has increased quite a bit compared to the rest of the country. But as some companies have completely closed, we are in trouble with empty cylinders. We are having to bear losses while giving empty cylinders of one company to another. This has also increased the price a bit.
He said, the purchase price of a 12 kg cylinder of gas is Tk 1,400. However, the government has set the price at Tk 1,306. Retailers are not allowed to sell cylinders above the maximum Tk 1,500. If there is such information, the administration should be informed.