Gas prices increased by 32 percent in Bangladesh

Gas prices in Bangladesh have been increased in most sectors by over 32 percent from Monday.

The consumers will now pay Tk 925 for single burner which was Tk 750 earlier. For double burner the price has been raised from Tk 800 to Tk 975. The price of gas for household’s using pre-paid meters has been raised to Tk 10.60 from the earlier rate of Tk 9.10 per cubic meter.

For customers paying for gas by the cubic metre, the price will jump to Tk 12.60 per cubic metre from Tk 9.10. The price for CNG used in vehicles has also been increased by about 7 percent from Tk 38 to Tk 43 per cubic metre.

This was announced by Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) yesterday. It said that the price rise has been necessitated due to higher prices of import of LNG. The government had raised gas prices by an average of 22.7 percent for the last time in March, 2017.

The move has been criticised by the opposition parties and groups of consumers and industry associations. Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) termed the move as anti-people and threatened to launch an agitation against the price rise.

The Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) said that the government should have taken steps to stop corruption in the sector rather than increase burden on consumers. Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) says gas price hike will increase production cost in the largest export-based sector of the country by one percent.