The gas shortage continues to cause severe hardship for CNG-run autorickshaw and other gas-powered vehicle drivers in Dhaka, with many spending hours in long queues at filling stations without getting enough fuel.
The shortage is eroding their daily earnings while making it increasingly difficult to meet their fixed daily payments to vehicle owners.
The situation was observed during visits to CNG filling stations across the capital on Saturday, where drivers and station officials spoke about the worsening crisis.
Drivers said they often have to wait up to three hours for gas at many stations. Even after the long wait, some stations are limiting sales. In some cases, drivers said they had to return to the road after hours of waiting with as little as Tk 120 worth of gas.
The prolonged queues are cutting into their working hours and increasing operating costs, they said. With earnings falling, many are struggling to meet their daily payments to vehicle owners.
CNG driver Md Mona said he had been waiting in a queue since 4am.
“I had to borrow money to pay the vehicle owner. I still haven’t got gas. How will I pay the owner and run my family? I also have to pay my house rent soon,” he said.
Another driver, Jahangir, said he pays Tk 1,200 to the vehicle owner every day and needs about Tk 500 worth of gas.
“I spend another Tk 200-250 on my own expenses. So my daily costs come to Tk 1,500-2,000. My income has virtually stopped for the past two months because of the gas shortage,” he said.
No daytime supply, limited gas at night
Kamal, manager of MA Masud Filling Station in Uttara, said the gas crisis had worsened, with no supply available during the day.
“There is not enough pressure for regular supply. The pressure is so low that we cannot operate our valves. Only stations whose valves can operate at low pressure are able to provide some gas,” he said.
He said some gas was available at night, while pressure generally began to improve in the afternoon.
“There is no good news about the gas situation. We don’t know when it will return to normal. Although we get some gas at night, we cannot supply it throughout the day,” said Tarek, an employee of Akij CNG Station.
Abdullah, an employee of Zaman Station, also said they received some gas at night but no supply during the day.
Private-car driver Sanuallah said, “We are going through extremely difficult times. We cannot work, but our expenses continue.”
Long queues at stations across Dhaka
Visits to filling stations in Uttara’s Abdullahpur, the airport area, Khilkhet and other parts of the capital found many stations closed due to the shortage.
Even at stations that remained open, low pressure was preventing normal supply, forcing CNG-run vehicles, trucks and other gas-powered vehicles to wait for hours.
Long queues were seen at Khandakar Filling Station in Abdullahpur and several stations in the Airport-Khilkhet area.
Monir Hossain, an operator at Khandakar Filling Station, said the station had not received adequate gas for the past two weeks.
“If we don’t have gas, how can we supply customers? CNG drivers are leaving without gas. Our station is completely closed,” he said.
A similar situation was found at RSR Filling Station on the western side of Abdullahpur along the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway.
“We had some gas pressure around 1pm, but it disappeared shortly afterwards,” said sales employee Zainul Alam.
Long queues were also seen at Russell Filling and CNG Station and Haji CNG Filling Station in Demra. At Russell, only one of four hoses could be kept operational due to low pressure.
At Haji Filling Station in Mirpara, gas was being supplied through a single hose on a limited scale.
“We have come all the way from Jatrabari to Demra to get gas. Are we supposed to starve with our families?” said CNG driver Md Sarwar Arif.
Similar scenes were reported in Mohakhali, Tejgaon, Kawran Bazar, Satrasta, Malibagh, Motijheel, Maniknagar, Khilgaon, Sabujbagh, Banasree and Goran.
Akij CNG Station at the busy Satrasta intersection was closed, with a sign reading “No Gas” displayed at the entrance.
Tarek, a guard and nozzleman at the station, said it had been shut due to the shortage.
At ABN CNG Filling Station in the Mohakhali bus stand area, manager Shahidul said the pressure was so low that the pump automatically shut down after operating for a short time.
“After waiting for a while, it starts again. This is how we are managing to provide limited supply,” he said.
Long queues were also seen at several stations in Malibagh, including Malibagh Hajipara CNG Fueling Station, Shanto CNG Refuelling Station on Bishwaroad, NS CNG Filling and Servicing Centre on RK Mission Road and Best Eastern CNG Filling Station in Maniknagar.
Drivers demand immediate solution
Drivers fear that thousands of people dependent on gas-powered vehicles will suffer further financial losses if the crisis persists.
Their livelihoods depend on driving, but without adequate gas, they cannot operate their vehicles or support their families.
People concerned with the sector said the recent crisis was triggered by delays in LNG unloading due to maintenance work at a terminal in Maheshkhali, along with reduced gas supplies to the national grid.
The shortage has affected residential consumers, CNG drivers and industries alike.
The government has said the situation is expected to improve significantly within a few days. Drivers, however, are demanding immediate and effective measures to bring the crisis under control.