Govt may stop supplying gas for cooking purposes in residential areas, says Hamid Bipu

The government may gradually stop supplying gas through pipelines for cooking purposes in residential areas to meet the increasing demand of the industrial sector, the state minister for power has said.

Nasrul Hamid Bipu on Saturday said demand had surpassed gas production in Bangladesh.

“For industrialisation, we must ensure adequate gas supply to industries,” he told a programme in Dhaka.

“For this, the government may eventually consider discontinuing gas supply in residential areas for cooking purposes,” Bipu added.

He was speaking at the launching ceremony of LPG cylinders by BM Energy (BD) Ltd, a joint venture of Bangladesh and Netherlands.

The cylinders will be available in three sizes – 12, 33, and 45 kg.

State Minister for Land Saifuzzaman Chowdhury said Bangladesh could mitigate gas crisis in the next five years by constructing LNG terminals.

Netherlands Ambassador Gerben Sjoerd de Jong at the programme said there was huge investment opportunity in Bangladesh for the investors of his country.

But he emphasised the need for political stability and adopting investment-friendly policies.