Industries minister against supplying gas through pipelines

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu is in favour of scrapping the practice of supplying gas through pipelines for use in vehicles and cooking purposes.

No new licence for CNG filling stations should be given and renewal of the existing ones should be stopped, he says.

He made the remarks during an interaction with the leaders of the Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industries on Friday.

He told the leading Sylhet businessmen that a proposal in this regard was sent to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

He said all sorts of gas supply through pipelines should be stopped to prevent waste.

“The reserve is depleting because gas is being wasted. The wastage can be cut by supplying gas in cylinders for household purposes like in other countries,” Amu said.

About the use of CNG in vehicles, he said, “It’s not logical to use cheap gas after buying a car worth a crore of taka. Bus owners use cheap gas, too, but do not reduce fare.”

“It cannot be allowed,” he added.

According to the government, Bangladesh has a reserve of 8.23 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) gas, which is estimated to meet the demand of 10 years.

According to an estimate by Petrobangla, 230-240 Tcf gas is supplied daily against a demand of 300 Tcf in the country.

Out of it, 42 percent is used to generate power.

Industries use 17 percent, eight percent is used for fertiliser production, for household purposes 11 percent is used and vehicles use five percent.

Gas is supplied through pipelines in two million houses catering to 10-12 percent of the population, according to data collected in 2013.

The High Court ban on providing new gas connection had been lifted in 2013 after three years.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith had earlier spoken in favour of closing gas supply through pipelines for household use.

In the meeting, the industries minister also assured the local business leaders of modernising Chhatak Cement Factory.

Amu said the government had a plan to build another cement factory in the area.

The government would open the Shahjalal Fertiliser Factory at Fenchuganj in June, according to the minister.

He said 11 units of the factory were completed and 95 percent work to build the other eight was finished.

Once the new factory was launched, the old one would be transformed into an ammonia factory to reduce import of the chemical, he added.

Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industries President Salah Uddin Ali Ahmed presided over the meeting.

Among others, local MP Mahmud Us Samad Chowdhury was present.