The government fixed the price of a 12kg LPG cylinder at Tk 1,585 in September, but in at least 13 districts buyers are paying Tk 300 to Tk 800 more per cylinder, and in some places cannot find one even at a higher price, Samakal has found. Bangladesh uses 1.7 to 1.8 million tonnes of LPG a year; about 10 million customers depend on it, and 80 per cent of demand is household cooking.
Liton Mia of Kalampur in Dhamrai, near Dhaka, went to seven shops with Tk 2,200 and came home without a cylinder. A neighbour, Anisur Rahman, found one after visiting five shops and paid Tk 2,350. Dhamrai's upazila executive officer, Md Al Mamun, said three businesses had been fined Tk 210,000 over two days for overcharging. In Dhaka, cylinders are selling for Tk 2,000 to Tk 2,300.
The picture is similar in the districts. A farmer in Tarash, Sirajganj, paid Tk 2,300 for a 12kg cylinder; in Belkuchi a shop displaying the official price allegedly charged Tk 215 more. Cylinders cost Tk 1,800 to Tk 1,900 in Rajbari and Tk 1,950 to Tk 2,100 in Moulvibazar. Traders in Kurigram say three brands have not been supplied for almost a month. Similar complaints came from Narsingdi, Khulna, Barguna, Natore, Dinajpur, Chapainawabganj, Lalmonirhat and Naogaon.
Yet official figures show about 157,000 tonnes of LPG imported in August and about 156,000 tonnes in September. Private companies control about 99 per cent of the market, and four of them about 68 per cent. Dealers and distributors accuse operators of limiting supply from their plants and sometimes charging more. Mohammad Amirul Haque, president of the LPG Operators Association of Bangladesh (LOAB), says imports have not fallen, that hoarding at retail level may be to blame, and that any operator found overcharging would face action.
Traders say the conflict in the Middle East and disruption on key shipping routes have raised freight costs, and many importers are receiving 30 to 40 per cent less cargo than contracted. They also say the premium, set at $160 a tonne when the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) fixed prices, has risen to $260 to $400.
Energy Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud has asked deputy commissioners to look into whether the shortage is artificial. Energy experts say the situation cannot be brought under control without effective monitoring by BERC, the Competition Commission, the consumer rights directorate and BSTI.
This report is based on reporting by Samakal's staff and district correspondents.
Photo: Press Information Department / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Source: samakal
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