The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) on Wednesday faced strong opposition while holding a hearing on a proposed gas price hike for the industrial and captive sectors.
Earlier, six gas distribution companies, including Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla), had proposed increasing gas prices in the industrial sector.
Based on their proposal, the BERC organized a public hearing in the morning at the Biam Auditorium in the capital.
During the session, participating representatives strongly opposed the initiative, labelling it as "anti-people" and causing an uproar.
They demanded that the proposal be abandoned by Sunday, warning that failure to do so could escalate into protests.
The proposal suggested increasing the per-unit gas price for new industrial and captive sector connections from Tk30 to Tk75.72.
However, opponents argued that such a price hike would threaten investment, business, and industry, ultimately harming the country’s overall economy.
Shamsul Alam, energy adviser of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), said: "Not just energy, but the entire country is becoming import-dependent due to such policies. The proposed gas price hike is dangerously anti-people. There should not even be a public hearing on such a proposal. It must be stopped."
During the hearing, business representatives, CAB members, and other organizational representatives demanded its cancellation, chanting slogans such as "Stop the farcical hearing, we will not accept this decision."
