An acute crisis of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has hit the consumers hard in Bogra. They roam from one shop to another with empty cylinders as the demand for LPG cylinders has outpaced the supply.
Consumers have to pay inflated prices ranging from Tk 2,600 to Tk 3,000, including the cylinder cost. With no alternative, many households have started cooking on makeshift wood-fired stoves set up in stairwells or on rooftops. Others have switched to electric stoves, resulting in increased demand for cement, clay, and electric cookers in local markets.
The shortage has also severely disrupted businesses dependent on LPG, including hotels, restaurants, fast-food outlets, and roadside food vendors. Business owners warn that if the supply crisis continues for another week, many establishments may shut down. Amid the ongoing shortage, only a handful of companies are supplying limited numbers of cylinders—often four or five at a time—which reach consumers at prices far above the fixed rates.
Previously, LPG cylinders were readily available at grocery stores across Bogra city and its outskirts. Now, even major dealers are unable to supply filled cylinders. For more than two weeks, LPG supplies from at least 13 companies—including Bashundhara, Beximco, Omera, Index, Navana, Universal, and JMI—have been virtually nonexistent. Although a few dealers are supplying small quantities from other companies, these supplies are far below demand and are being sold at higher-than-fixed prices.
Sumaiya Binte Shahadat, a housewife from Sultanaganjpara, said that her family of four relies entirely on LPG, as there is no government gas connection in the area. Her cylinder ran out a week ago, and despite repeated visits to nearby shops, she has been unable to find gas. “Sometimes they quote excessive prices, sometimes they say there is no gas,” she said. Left with no choice, she bought a cement stove for Tk 100 and is now cooking in the stairwell using firewood, charcoal, and discarded paper.
Similar concerns were expressed by Monira Akter, a housewife from Katnarpara. Meanwhile, Sufia Khatun of Brindabanpara said that she recently purchased a 12-kg cylinder for Tk 1,700, but with her gas nearly exhausted, she is now worried about where she will find a refill.
Sadman Sakib, a grocery shop owner in the Hakir Crossing area, said that he currently has LPG from only one company available. “Customers have to pay Tk 2,600—Tk 1,550 for the gas and Tk 1,050 for the cylinder,” he said. Rabiu Islam, owner of Rabiul Enterprise, a gas and stove shop in Dattabari, said the shortage has persisted for nearly two months, with supplies completely halted over the past two weeks.
“Distributors are not providing cylinders according to demand. Customers come with empty cylinders and leave frustrated,” he said, adding that his business is suffering heavy losses. He urged the government’s authorities concerned to intervene immediately to restore normal LPG supply in Bogra.
