LPG cylinders are not matching the price set by the government

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On the night of April 8, the cylinder gas ran out suddenly at Mohammad Farooq’s house. Without seeing a way, he went out to the shop. After visiting a few shops, I finally had to buy a cylinder for 2,000 taka. But the government price of a 12 kg LPG cylinder is 1 thousand 728 taka. He had to buy a cylinder for an extra 272 taka and return home.

Farooq is a resident of Gate No. 2 area of ​​Chittagong city. He complained that no one is selling cylinders at government prices. Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) announced new prices on April 2. Complaints are spreading on social media even though cylinders are not matching the price of 32 taka 30 paise per kg.

To verify the reality of Farooq’s complaint, a few big shops can be seen in Hillview, Technical Mor, Sholshahar, Uttar Kattli, Enayatbazar and Gate No. 2 areas of the city, 12 kg cylinders are being sold from Tk 1,850 to Tk 2,100. That is, the sellers are taking 122 to 372 taka more than the fixed price.

Standing in a shop in Sholshahar while talking to the customers, the seller highlighted his condition. Sahab Uddin He told Prothom Alo, “We are not taking extra on purpose. Having to buy from the distributor at a higher price. If not, where is the objection to selling at the government price?

The name of Sahab Uddin’s shop is M/s Arman Enterprises. He said that Omera is selling for 2 thousand 100 taka, Beximco 2 thousand 50, Unigas 2 thousand, BM 1 thousand 900 taka.

Two to three hundred cylinders are sold every day in M/s Mohammadia Trading, an old company in the polytechnical area of ​​the city. Muhammad Ali Azam, the leader of the company, said that the price has increased from 1,800 to 1,900 taka at the distributor level. It is being said again that the freight has increased. Import costs have increased. In this situation, it is not possible to sell at the official price.

The same was heard from distributors. They claim that they have to buy cylinders at a higher price from the company. On April 5, Chittagong Metropolitan LP Gas Distributors-Dealers Association gave a memorandum to Chittagong District Commissioner regarding the issue of increased prices. It is said that a cylinder of 12 kg is to be obtained from the company for 1 thousand 633 taka. In reality, it has to be bought for 1 thousand 700 to 1 thousand 940 taka, even the distributors are not getting the commission as before. As a result, prices are increasing at the retail level.

When asked to know, the president of the association Saiful Alam told Prothom Alo, “Our calculations do not match. It is becoming difficult to run a business in this situation. Therefore, we have decided to stop the sale of cylinders in Chittagong from April 18 if the government does not get the cylinders from the company at the fixed price.

On April 7, the Ministry of Commerce issued a letter to the National Directorate of Consumer Rights Protection and the District Commissioners asking them to take legal action to stop the sale of LPG cylinders at increased prices. In view of this letter, on April 8, the association of importing companies ‘LPG Operators Association of Bangladesh (LOAB)’ sent a press release. They have requested all distributors and retailers to sell LPG cylinders at the price fixed by the government. The notification said that cylinders are being supplied from LPG bottling companies at the price fixed by the government.

In this regard, President of LPG Operator of Bangladesh and Managing Director of Delta LPG Limited Mohammad Amirul Haque told Prothom Alo that they have already issued a notification and requested the distributors and retailers to sell at the official price. He hopes that everyone will play a responsible role from their place.

All the residents of 12 flats in a four-storey building in Gate No. 2 area of ​​the city are dependent on LPG. School teacher Zahirul Islam lives there. He said, a cylinder ends in a month, sometimes in 20 days. If the price increases a little, it becomes difficult to match the monthly accounts.

Mahbub Hasan, a resident of Atura’s depot area, spoke of similar pressure. He works in a private company. Total monthly income is 25 thousand taka. His family needs one cylinder a month. He said, it is already difficult to match the house rent, market cost. Now you have to pay extra for gas. It has become a big pressure.

The country has an annual demand of around 17 lakh tonnes of LPG, which is imported from 18 countries. Although 28 companies operate in this sector, the majority of imports are controlled by a handful of companies.

Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Central Vice President SM Najer Hossain thinks that even if the government decides the price of LPG, it is not reflected in the field. He told Prothom Alo, retailers, distributors and importing companies; Everyone seems to be pushing the blame on each other. And in the middle, common people have to pay extra money every day. The big question now is how quickly this instability will end.