Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) distributors have called off their planned two-day nationwide strike following a government warning of strict legal action against any attempt to disrupt essential commodity supplies.
The decision came after the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) scheduled a public hearing for October 29 to review the distributors’ demands, including higher sales commissions.
Selim Khan, president of the LPG Gas Traders Cooperative Association, confirmed the withdrawal of the protest to New Age following a meeting with BERC officials on Wednesday. He said the commission had assured traders that their key concerns would be evaluated at the hearing.
The strike was scheduled to begin on Thursday, with distributors planning to shut retail LPG outlets nationwide to press for higher margins and other administrative relief.
Earlier on Wednesday, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood warned that the government would invoke the Essential Commodities Act, 1957, if traders attempted to manipulate the market or create artificial supply shortages.
“They cannot call strikes at will to push up prices. This will not be tolerated,” he told reporters at the Bangladesh Secretariat after meeting LPG operators.
The minister said the ministry was working to ensure compliance with regulated prices and prevent market distortion.
According to a BERC public notice, the October 29 hearing will review proposals to revise consumer-level prices for government-supplied and privately marketed LPG cylinders, as well as distributor commissions.
The distributors’ association announced the strike on October 12, demanding an increase in retail commission from Tk 50 to at least Tk 150 per 12-kilogram cylinder.
Their other demands include an end to alleged police harassment during transportation and government intervention to bring idle and unused cylinders back into circulation.
Financial Mirror/AH
