Nationwide protests erupt
Bangladesh’s prolonged gas shortage is increasingly disrupting everyday life, with stranded motorists, long queues at CNG stations, disrupted public transport and protests reported in several districts.
Frustrated drivers took to the streets on Friday as a lack of gas left them waiting for hours — and in some cases more than a day — to refuel.
In Chattogram, CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers blocked a road in the Sholoshahar area at around 7am after failing to obtain gas despite waiting for hours at the Fossil Filling Station. Police later persuaded them to clear the road.
Although traffic was relatively light because Friday was a public holiday, a long queue of vehicles remained outside the station around 10am.
Some drivers said they had been waiting for more than 24 hours without receiving gas.
The station authorities said they could not provide CNG because of the lack of supply and had no information on when the situation would return to normal.
Panchlaish police station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Zahedul Islam said the road was blocked for around 15–20 minutes. Police went to the spot and spoke to the drivers, who subsequently withdrew from the road.
Similar protests took place in Hajiganj, Chandpur, where CNG drivers blocked the Chandpur–Cumilla regional highway on Friday to protest the suspension of gas supplies to filling stations for two consecutive days.
The blockade took place in front of the Balakhal CNG filling station in Hajiganj upazila. Hajiganj police OC Abdul Mannan reached the scene with officers and persuaded the drivers to leave, allowing traffic to resume.
The shortage has also resulted in lengthy queues in Dhaka. At Hajipara CNG Filling Station, just 1.1km from Rampura TV Centre, vehicles were reportedly waiting at least four hours for fuel.
One driver joined the queue at 12:30pm and received CNG at 4:30pm. Despite the four-hour wait, he was able to purchase only Tk502 worth of gas — around 60 per cent of his vehicle’s cylinder capacity.
The situation is particularly severe in Brahmanbaria, where all CNG filling stations have been closed since Thursday night following a complete suspension of gas supplies. Station authorities said they had no definite information about when supplies would resume.
Residents said households and filling stations across the district had been facing gas shortages for nearly two weeks.
Many families have been unable to cook because of inadequate pipeline pressure, forcing some to resort to traditional clay stoves.
Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Ltd reduced supplies to five filling stations in the district on Wednesday.
Before the reduction, the company supplied around 50,000 cubic metres of gas a day to the stations, although their combined demand was almost twice that amount.
Gas pressure at the stations had already remained at only 3–4 PSI for more than two weeks, compared with the required 15 PSI.
Supplies were cut further on Wednesday and stopped completely on Thursday night, forcing all five stations to shut.
With CNG increasingly unavailable, fewer auto-rickshaws are operating on roads and highways.
Some drivers have switched to LPG cylinders, but passengers say they are being charged almost double the usual fares.
Mohammad Shafiqul Haque, deputy general manager of Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company’s Brahmanbaria branch, said regular supplies could not be maintained because of an LNG shortage.
He said higher authorities had not provided any clear indication of when the shortage would end, leaving households, transport workers and businesses facing continued uncertainty.
