All filling stations in B’baria shut

All CNG filling stations in Brahmanbaria have remained closed for three days due to an acute liquefied natural gas (LNG) shortage, disrupting transport services and causing difficulties for both residential and commercial consumers.

Filling station operators said gas supply stopped completely after 11:00am on Wednesday, leaving drivers uncertain about when normal services will resume.

Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Limited had already reduced supply to the district’s five filling stations from August 12 before the shortage forced all of them to shut down.

Before the crisis, the stations received around 50,000 cubic metres of gas per day, although local demand was nearly double that amount. Gas pressure had also remained unusually low for more than two weeks, with stations receiving only 3-4 PSI instead of the usual 15 PSI.

The shortage has sharply reduced the number of CNG-run auto-rickshaws on roads and highways. Some drivers have switched to LPG cylinders, resulting in significantly higher operating costs and passenger fares.

Passengers said fares on several routes have nearly doubled. One passenger reported paying Tk 70 for a journey that normally costs Tk 40, while some auto-rickshaw drivers said they were charging up to Tk 90 because of the higher cost of LPG.

Aminul Islam, manager of Fahad Filling Station, said the station had remained closed since Wednesday because it could no longer supply gas to vehicles. He said Bakhrabad Gas authorities indicated that supply might resume on Sunday or Monday.

Engineer Md Shafiqul Haque, deputy general manager of Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Limited’s Brahmanbaria branch, said the LNG shortage was preventing uninterrupted gas supply.

He added that authorities could not yet confirm when the crisis would end, though restoring normal supply could take several days.