Due to a severe shortage of LPG autogas, almost all LPG autogas stations across the country have been forced to shut down. The crisis has had a direct impact on LPG-powered vehicles, with owners and drivers facing extreme hardship as they are unable to obtain fuel. The Bangladesh LPG Autogas Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association has demanded that at least 10% of total LPG usage—equivalent to 15,000 tonnes—be allocated to autogas stations. The demand was submitted to the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC).
The demand was announced at a press conference held on Saturday (10 January) at the Dhaka Reporters Unity. Speakers at the event said vehicle owners and drivers are suffering severely due to the fuel shortage. Many are spending hours travelling from one station to another without success, resulting in serious disruption to vehicle operations and passenger services.
The association stated that Bangladesh currently uses an average of around 140,000 metric tonnes of LPG per month. Of this, only 15,000 metric tonnes—approximately 10% of total consumption—is used as LPG autogas in the transport sector. However, the failure to ensure supply of even this limited quantity to autogas stations has pushed the entire autogas sector to the brink of collapse.
The association urged BERC to consider ensuring an uninterrupted monthly supply of at least 10% of total LPG consumption, or 15,000 metric tonnes, to autogas stations. Without this minimum supply, the LPG autogas industry—developed as an environmentally friendly, cost-effective alternative fuel—faces total destruction.
The association warned that the collapse of the sector would cause severe hardship for the owners of nearly 1.5 lakh LPG-powered vehicles. Many would be forced to remove LPG kits and revert to other fuels, which would be detrimental to the country’s fuel balance and the environment. At the same time, thousands of autogas station owners and employees would suffer direct financial losses, and many would lose their jobs.
The association’s demands to the government include immediate measures to normalise and ensure adequate LPG imports; strict administrative action against those who create artificial shortages by halting or limiting LPG supply; ensuring coordination and full transparency between LPG cylinder distribution and autogas station supply systems; swift approval of applications from companies willing to increase LPG imports; regular monitoring and exemplary punishment for dishonest traders involved in selling LPG at prices above the government-fixed rates; and special assistance and policy protection for autogas station owners to offset financial losses during the ongoing crisis.
