Cut in CNG price demanded

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) filling station owners yesterday urged the government to reduce the price of CNG if the liquid fuel price is lowered. Otherwise, they said, the CNG sector will face problem.
They said use of CNG in public transport will be discouraged if CNG price is hiked. As a result air pollution will increase terribly and the whole country will turn into a gas chamber.  Environment and health sector will face a serious threat, said Masud Khan, president of CNG Filling Station & Conversion Workshop Owners Association.
He was addressing a press conference on “CNG sector is under threat” at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in the capital yesterday.
He said the profitable CNG sector will be in jeopardy if price is not reduced with the reduction in liquid fuel prices. Only 5 per cent locally produced gas is used in CNG sector. Yet the government is getting 20 per cent of the revenue from this sector, he said.
“The price discrimination will bring down our business pushing the Tk 6,000-crore investment in the CNG sector towards a disaster,’ said Farhan Noor, general secretary of the association.
The CNG filling station owners urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who also Minister in charge of Ministry of Power, Energy & Mineral Resources to consider their demand.
He said the CNG sector was launched in 2002 and a total of 590 stations have been set up nationwide following the government’s decision to reduce air pollution through the use of natural gas in motor vehicles. Later, 3 lakh vehicles were converted to CNG. This conversion brought air pollution down.
But toxics in air are increasing again as the converted vehicles are coming back to liquid fuels, he said.
UNB adds: He said the government always increases the CNG price whenever it increases the petroleum keeping a 50 per cent difference between the prices of the two fuels.
“But, if the prices of liquid fuels are lowered and that of CNG price is upped, the gap will close and then the motor vehicles owners will refrain from using the CNG,” Farhan added.
He noted that the CNG sector consumes only 5 per cent of the total gas consumption while it pays 22 per cent of revenue to the national exchequer.
Farhan said their association convened a general meeting on April 23 to discuss the overall situation and take a decision depending on the government’s future decision.
He also protested the attack on CNG station in Sylhet and refusal of police to register any case against the attackers.

Cut in CNG price demanded

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) filling station owners yesterday urged the government to reduce the price of CNG if the liquid fuel price is lowered. Otherwise, they said, the CNG sector will face problem. They said use of CNG in public transport will be discouraged if CNG price is hiked. As a result air pollution will increase terribly and the whole country will turn into a gas chamber. Environment and health sector will face a serious threat, said Masud Khan, president of CNG Filling Station Conversion Workshop Owners Association. He was addressing a press conference on CNG sector is under threat at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in the capital yesterday. He said the profitable CNG sector will be in jeopardy if price is not reduced with the reduction in liquid fuel prices. Only 5 per cent locally produced gas is used in CNG sector. Yet the government is getting 20 per cent of the revenue from this sector, he said. The price discrimination will bring down our business pushing the Tk 6,000-crore investment in the CNG sector towards a disaster, said Farhan Noor, general secretary of the association. The CNG filling station owners urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who also Minister in charge of Ministry of Power, Energy Mineral Resources to consider their demand. He said the CNG sector was launched in 2002 and a total of 590 stations have been set up nationwide following the governments decision to reduce air pollution through the use of natural gas in motor vehicles. Later, 3 lakh vehicles were converted to CNG. This conversion brought air pollution down. But toxics in air are increasing again as the converted vehicles are coming back to liquid fuels, he said. UNB adds: He said the government always increases the CNG price whenever it increases the petroleum keeping a 50 per cent difference between the prices of the two fuels. But, if the prices of liquid fuels are lowered and that of CNG price is upped, the gap will close and then the motor vehicles owners will refrain from using the CNG, Farhan added. He noted that the CNG sector consumes only 5 per cent of the total gas consumption while it pays 22 per cent of revenue to the national exchequer. Farhan said their association convened a general meeting on April 23 to discuss the overall situation and take a decision depending on the governments future decision. He also protested the attack on CNG station in Sylhet and refusal of police to register any case against the attackers.