Photo: Collected
Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud has warned that the government will sternly put down any attempt to hold the public hostage over LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) by creating an artificial crisis, manipulating the market or calling a strike.
LPG is an essential commodity, the minister said; if an anti-public-interest situation is created by disrupting its supply, action will be taken against those involved under the law.
He set out this position at a press conference on Wednesday after a meeting with LPG operators at the conference room of the Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry at the Secretariat.
Noting that the energy sector worldwide is now facing a big challenge, the minister said uncertainty had emerged in various countries over the supply and price of fuel because of the war situation, and prices were not stable on the international market. In this reality, the government is holding discussions with those concerned to keep the supply and price of LPG tolerable on the domestic market.
As the private sector is directly involved in LPG supply, the government has sat with the operators to resolve the market’s existing problems, he said. The meeting discussed in detail how the traders’ problems could be reconciled and how the market could be kept normal.
Iqbal Hasan Mahmud also said the government was reviewing the price and supply situation of LPG, keeping in mind the uncertainty that has arisen in the energy sector because of the war. The authorities concerned have been instructed to take the necessary steps so that prices remain stable on the market and traders do not fall into unreasonable difficulties.
The minister said this was the third meeting with the operators on the matter. The market situation had been reviewed at the earlier meetings as well; the traders’ problems are being identified and ways to solve them sought. Talks with those concerned will be held again on 20 October, through which steps will be taken to keep the market normal and ensure stability in the supply system.
Replying to a question on withdrawal of the strike, the minister said the government had held a meeting with LPG traders and informed them of its position. As it is an essential commodity, the government will act under the law if there is any manipulation of its supply, any holding of the public hostage, or any public suffering created through programmes such as a strike.
At the same press conference, Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir said private companies are involved in the supply and marketing of LPG in the country. The government fixes the price of LPG every month in line with the international market, following the formula set by the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC).
The commerce minister said LPG dealers and retailers, raising various demands, had threatened a strike on the last two days of this week. Against this backdrop, strategies on how LPG supply could be kept stable this year and next were discussed with the operators; but the time to disclose that strategy has not yet come.
Warning over the threat of a dealer-level strike, he said there are specific laws for the supply of and trade in essential commodities. Under the Essential Commodities Act, 1956, the government will take stern action if there is an attempt to manipulate the supply of such goods, to create an anti-public-interest situation by influencing the market system, or to put the public in distress through threats.
Recalling that the daily life of millions of people in the country is tied to LPG – the fuel is used for cooking and various other essential tasks – the commerce minister said ordinary people would be the direct losers if the supply were disrupted, and the government would not accept such a situation in any way.
Saying the government is ready to solve the traders’ reasonable problems, he said any demand or problem must be placed before the authorities concerned. Stopping supply or holding ordinary people hostage over a commercial dispute that can be settled through discussion is not acceptable; if anyone seeks to use the market situation for their own interest, the government will not tolerate it.
He also said the government would continue discussions with operators and dealers to keep the LPG market normal and the supply uninterrupted. But if anyone takes up an anti-public-interest programme taking advantage of the discussions, necessary action will be taken against them.
The meeting with those concerned discussed the price and supply of LPG, the traders’ various demands and the impact of volatility on the international market. The government’s aim is to solve the traders’ reasonable problems and at the same time protect the interests of ordinary consumers.
The press conference was also told that steps are being taken, through discussions at the government level, to keep LPG supply normal and to ensure that no crisis arises in the market from a possible strike.
