Half-day hartal today

The Left Democratic Alliance (LDA) is all set to observe a half-day strike today protesting the government’s decision of gas price hike.

The LDA, a coalition of eight left-leaning political parties, yesterday brought out a procession from National Press Club to Sadarghat in the capital to get mass people’s support in the strike.

During the procession, leaders of the LDA urged the countrymen to enforce the shutdown peacefully and make their protest successful.

Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) illogically increased the gas price. The price hike will increase daily expenditures of mass people and cause public sufferings, they said.

According to the new tariff, households using a single burner will pay Tk 925 instead of Tk 750 per month. In case of having double burners, citizens will pay Tk 975 instead of Tk 800.

This time the gas tariff for power plants was increased by 40.82 percent, for fertiliser factories by 64.21 percent, for Compressed Natural Gas users by 7.5 percent, for captive power plants by 43.97 percent, for industries by 37.89 percent, for tea estates by 44.20 percent, for commercial users by 34.98 percent, and for households using burners on metres by 38.46 percent.

Protesting the “anti-people budget for 2019-20 fiscal”, the LDA is going to observe the strike between 6:00am and 2:00pm today.

Several opposition political parties including Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Gonoforum and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD Rob), extended their moral support to LDA’s strike.

The LDA includes Communist Party of Bangladesh, Socialist Party of Bangladesh, Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, Ganasamhati Andolan and Ganatantrik Biplobi Party.