Passengers pay more for commutes as CNG crisis hits Dhaka

The 24-hour stoppage of CNG supply has hit filling stations in Dhaka hard on the first workday after the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.

Rifat Rahmanbdnews24.com
Published : 28 June 2017, 12:26 PM
Updated : 28 June 2017, 12:32 PM

After every major holiday, the number of mass transports usually remains low in the capital. On top of that, the scarcity of gas has led to a small number of auto-rickshaws on the streets.

The drivers of auto-rickshaws who managed to fill up their vehicles' cylinders before Tuesday midnight are now plying the streets.

But they are charging 'abnormal fares' from passengers, mainly office-goers. Those travelling a long distance are the ones who had to pay higher than usual.

Saiful Haque, who works for a nongovernmental organisation, took an auto-rickshaw to Kachukhet from Tongi in the morning. He told bdnews24.com that he had to pay Tk 550 as fare for his journey where the regular fare for the same distance is generally Tk 250 to Tk 300.

"The drivers are blaming the gas shortage for the extra fares. I was kind of forced to pay more."

Rehana Begum, a resident of Dhaka, was seen looking for an auto-rickshaw at Mirpur-14 to go to Nilkhet. She said the drivers were demanding Tk 350 for that distance instead of the normal Tk 200 fare.

University student Ferdous Rahman said he had to pay Tk 100 more than the normal fare for the journey from Uttara House Building area to Nilkhet.

Asked about charging extra money from the passengers, Ramzan Ali, an auto-rickshaw driver, said: "The number of vehicles is low. That's why the fare has gone up."

"Generally, we refill our gas cylinders twice or three times a day. But the supply has been turned off since last night. Only the drivers who managed to get gas last night are out on the streets."

Gas supply to the CNG refuelling stations across Bangladesh has been stopped since Tuesday midnight for 24 hours as production at Sylhet's Bibiyana gas field came to a halt due to maintenance work.

The CNG refuelling stations in Dhaka faced a sudden rush of vehicles when the news about the Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company's decision circulated around 9pm Tuesday.

After most of the stations closed at midnight, many vehicles that rushed there had to turn back with empty cylinders.

Another auto-rickshaw driver, Sekandar Mia, said, "We are in trouble too. We are not working. I only managed to make two trips before my vehicle ran out of gas."

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid Bipu earlier in the day claimed they had issued notices about the stoppage earlier.

But many facing trouble on Wednesday said they did not know that the gas supply would be stopped from Tuesday midnight.

The government's original decision was to keep the stations open for 24 hours for 10 days before and after the Eid to handle the traffic rush, Bangladesh CNG Filling Station Owners' Association General Secretary Farhan Noor told bdnews24.com.

"The new decision contradicts that," he said, insisting that closed refuelling stations would lead to much suffering for the people.

The state minister, however, said the vehicles that run on CNG can also use other fuels. "So there shouldn't be any major trouble."