If 6-point demand not met immediately

Countrywide CNG strike from August 1

UNB, Dhaka

CNG pump owners Saturday renewed their call for the government to immediately accept their 6-point demand failing which they would go on strike from August 1 at the gas-filling stations across the country.
Their demands include reducing the gas price to Tk 13.26 from the existing Tk 16.75 per cubic metre at the consumer level, fixing feed gas price at Tk 5.23 like other industries, cancelling the minimum billing system, installing electronic volume conductor (EVC) on emergency basis, reducing BERC licence fee to Tk 5,000 from existing Tk 1 lakh, cancelling the cash security-deposit system and exempting the CNG stations from NOC of Environment Department.
The CNG pump owners made their call at a meeting of the steering committee of Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion workshop Owners Association.
The meeting, with senior Vice-President Manoanjan Bhakt in the chair, at Bangabandhu Convention Centre at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, was attended by 49 leaders of the association. Of them, 28 leaders came from 14 zonal committees across the country.
The leaders in the meeting expressed their frustration over non-fulfillment of their "legitimate" demands.
There are more than 450 CNG re-fuelling stations now operating across the country while another 150 are in the process of installation. So far, government had issued licences to about 900 entrepreneurs.
The CNG pump owners observed that following the enhancement of CNG price at consumer level on April 24, 2008, the conversion of diesel-run motor vehicles to usage got tremendously reduced.
They fear that if the government does not reduce the CNG price at consumer level, the whole industry would collapse and become non-viable.
"So, for the existence of the new sector, the 6-point demands have to be met by the government," said Zakir Hossain Nayon, General Secretary of the Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion workshop Owners Association.