Gas price hike: Leftist parties’ nationwide half-day strike underway

The countrywide half-day strike by the Left Democratic Alliance or LDA has begun with picketing in several areas of Dhaka. The leftist parties enforced the strike from 6am to 2pm on Sunday protesting a gas price hike.

The leaders and activists took position at the Paltan, National Press Club Shahbagh areas amid rain in the morning.

Progressive Student’s Alliance activists protested in the Shahbagh area, halting the traffic movement.

But in other areas of the city, the vehicles are running normally. Law enforcement agencies have been deployed in the different points.

"There is hardly any effect of the strike. The traffic is normal," Maruf Hossain Sardar, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police or DMP, Ramna Division, told bdnews24.com

Chief of Paltan Police Station Mahmudul Haque said some leftist parties took to the street.

“A car was vandalised in Paltan intersection in the morning. But there were no further untoward incidents. "

The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission recently raised the price of gas by an average rate of 32.8 percent across the board to be effective from July 1.

The price of household gas will rise to Tk 925 for a single-burner cooking stove and Tk 975 for a double-burner stove from Tk 750 and Tk 800, respectively.

For customers paying for gas by the cubic metre, the price will jump to Tk 12.6 per cubic metre from Tk 9.1.

The BERC announced the changes in a public notice, hiking gas prices for unmetered household connections by 23 percent and metered connections by 38 percent.