LPG price hike by Tk 6.6 per kg to bleed consumers more

Even in these days of people’s huge financial hardships, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) did not feel what their decision of price hike of LPG would mean for the people.

This government does not anymore see into the interest of people, it sees only the interest of its own and that is to remain in power.

Earlier, the retail consumers could buy a 12kg cylinder at Tk 1,284, now after the hike which is already effective from yesterday evening they will have to pay Tk 79 more to buy the same at Tk 1,363 (VAT included).

At this rate, Tk 6.6 per kg has been increased and prices of other sizes of LPG cylinders — from 5.5kg to 45kg — will go up according to this rate.

As the reason for this hike, BERC said it was done due to the increase in prices of Saudi CP (contract price).

While it is lamentable that the government is raising gas price for showing this or that reason, reportedly a whopping 86 per cent of the target that it set in 2022 for the next three years to increase domestic gas production to tackle the energy crisis remained unachieved.

Though the state-owned oil and gas company, Petrobangla, blamed the financial crisis for the poor progress made in achieving the goal, experts in the field criticized the government’s emergency gas augmentation plan as something which is not achievable at all.

When last year the rolling power cut was introduced the then-Petrobangla chairman promised that 618 mmcfd of gas would be added to the national grid by digging 46 wells by 2025.

But this was a false hope since, according to a former Petrobangla chairman, only 30 of them fit the definition of a well, while 15 were actually existing wells under maintenance.

It is now not unknown to the public that the government which won’t accept its economic failure often provides false data of economic prosperity and gives false promises of raising people’s living standard, but the ground reality is that people are struggling hard to survive and a great number of people have slipped below the poverty line.

If the short-term economic projections come true, and there is no reason for hope of improvement against the steep fall of forex reserves, the corrupt government may go for taking more reckless steps to increase the price of gas and energies.