Decision of gas price hike anti-people: Jatri Kalyan Samity

Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, a passenger welfare platform, today said that the government has created a space of stoking social unrest and increasing the cost of livelihood of people by hiking the gas price.

The value of per cubic meter of NCG gas has been increased to Tk three and soon after the announcement of gas price hike, an anarchical situation was created in the transport sector across the country over collecting extra fare, the platform said.

Earlier in the day, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Monwar Islam announced that the average gas price has was raised by 32.8 percent for all consumers.

In a press statement, Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury, secretary general of the platform, termed the government decision anti-people and called upon it to revoke the decision for the greater interest of the stakeholders.

He said, "Hundreds of thousands of crores of taka are being looted due to misuse, mismanagement and corruption in the CNG sector."

"It is recognised by everyone that the officials from top to bottom in this sector are used to taking bribe at wholesale rate. The gas price has been increased without ensuring justice to the corruption, irregularities and looting," he said.

"I am calling upon the government to withdraw its decision immediately," Mozammel said in the statement.