From kitchens to restaurants: How an acute gas crisis is upending life in Shariatpur

A 12kg LPG cylinder now sells for up to Tk 2,200 as supply dries up across the district

A crippling shortage of Liquefied Petroleum (LP) gas has taken hold across Shariatpur district, effectively shuttering domestic kitchens and driving a surge in demand for prepared meals.

Local stocks have evaporated despite the presence of 20 regional distributors, with inventory levels reportedly hitting zero across most major brands.

Market inquiries indicate that a negligible quantity of Total Gas cylinders remains in the hands of select vendors, albeit at a significant premium.

Retail rates for a 12kg unit have surged past the Tk 1,500 mark.

Compounding the financial burden, the available stock requires a size-20 regulator. Since most households utilise size-22 fittings, families are being forced to invest in new hardware simply to access the limited supply.

Residents living in multi-storey buildings in Shariatpur town are facing the worst impact.

Unlike households in single-storey homes, they cannot switch to wood-fired stoves, nor do their kitchens have traditional earthen stoves, leaving families unable to cook.

Dealers Selim Khan and Belayet Hossain said their LPG supplies come through the Mongla Port, but companies have not delivered any cylinders since Jan 1. Since mid-December, they have been receiving only half of their usual demand.

They said dealer vehicles have been queued at company plants for six to seven days to collect cylinders, yet supplies remain far below demand. Against orders for 1,000 cylinders, they receive around 400, increasing transport costs and pressure on retail prices.

City resident Sheikh Kamal said the situation could worsen within days.

“If there is no gas at home, how will we cook? How will we eat? We will be forced to buy food from hotels and restaurants,” he added.

Fellow residents Delwar Bepari and Selina Akhtar echoed these sentiments, calling for urgent intervention to avert a deepening crisis.

The commercial sector is witnessing similar distress. Restaurant proprietor Abdus Samad Howlader disclosed that procurement costs have reached a staggering Tk 2,200 per cylinder.

“Operating under these price points is unsustainable. We are no longer turning a profit and are, in many instances, absorbing heavy losses,” he explained.

Jannatul Ferdous, assistant director of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection in Shariatpur, categorised the shortfall as a national issue.

“I do not know what decisions are being taken at the national level. We act according to the instructions of the deputy commissioner, additional deputy commissioner and the Sadar Upazila administrator,” she said.

Shariatpur district administrator Tahsina Begum could not be reached for comment.