Many areas of Dhaka are suffering from a debilitating gas supply as the month of Ramadan begins.
Social media is abuzz with netizens complaining about severe gas shortages lasting from early morning to the afternoon.
Many areas of Dhaka are suffering from acute gas shortages at nighttime. City dwellers are facing a tough time preparing meals for both Seheri and Iftar.
Facebook user Nipa on Friday wrote that gas shortages were common from the morning to the afternoon but it was the first time in her life that she was experiencing gas crunch during the night.
Sources said the Power Division, in a meeting with the Energy and Mineral Resources Division before Ramadan, had urged increasing the supply of gas to meet the greater demand for electricity, reports Bangla Tribune.
At the meeting, Petrobangla officials announced that gas supply to CNG stations would be halted from 5pm to 11pm during Ramadan.
Sources said transport workers use gas to refuel their vehicles after 11pm, and the gas supply during the afternoon is used to produce electricity.
This pressure on the available gas supply is the reason behind the current shortage faced by household consumers.
Responding to a query, Managing Director of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited, Mir Moshiur Rahman said: “We face a daily supply deficit of 300 million cubic feet. The shortage will persist unless the supply increases.”
He pointed out that the current shortage of gas in Dhaka will be eased after the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) begins.
A Titas Gas Company source said they were getting 1,700 million cft against a demand of 2,000 million cft.
Any attempt is yet to be made by the authorities concerned for solving the gas shortage suffered by household consumers.
A resident living near the Central Road of Dhaka, Akter Hossain Chowdhury, had contacted the local gas supply office to inquire about the shortage.
After checking his gas connection, technicians told Akter to contact the Titas headquarters to resolve the issue.
An employee at a Titas complaint centre, on condition of anonymity, said: “Consumers visit us every day, seeking a solution to their gas shortage problem. We can only tell them that the shortage will persist until a new supply of gas is introduced.
“We, along with our consumers, are also helpless regarding the matter.”
