Bangladesh CNG Filling Station Owners Association announced a nationwide one-day symbolic strike on July 30. They warned indefinite shutdown if the government fails to respond.

During a press conference at their city office, leadership stated that all CNG filling stations across the country will symbolically close from 6 AM to 12 AM on July 30, while leaving doors open for negotiations with authorities.

Reading out a written statement, committee Convener Amiruzzaman Chowdhury- accompanied by Association President Monoranjan Bhakta and General Secretary Farhan Noor-warned that if no fruitful solution emerges, all CNG filling stations will remain completely closed indefinitely from August 23.

The association strongly demanded an immediate increase in their sales commission from 8 taka to 13 taka and 96 poisha per cubic meter, alongside three other core demands to ensure the survival of the sector.

According to the leadership, the primary driver for this adjustment is seven consecutive electricity price hikes since 2015, which increased monthly bills by one-fifth and requires a 2 taka 46 poisha bump alone, combined with a needed 3 taka 50 poisha adjustment for rising operational costs, minimum wage mandates, and foreign currency rates.

The press conference revealed that the official commission rate of 8 taka per cubic meter has remained frozen for nearly 11 years despite multi-fold surges in inflation, dollar rates, bank guarantee fees, and general overhead.

To protect their businesses from extreme losses, the owners presented four key demands, including the commission raise to 13.96 taka, automatic proportional commission adjustments for future fuel price changes, the complete abolition of new enhanced security deposits for existing customers, and a reduction of government lease rents, licensing, and renewal fees to a reasonable level.

Central leaders expressed deep frustration over failed attempts to meet directly with the Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources and the BERC Chairman to present their logical grievances.

The association highlighted that while a previous ministry and Petrobangla technical committee had officially recommended a 2 taka 98 poisha increase, the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) granted only a 1 taka raise in 2015, leaving the remaining 1 taka 98 poisha shelved for a decade.

Because CNG retail prices are strictly fixed by the government, station owners are unable to pass on these escalated production costs to consumers, leaving an environmentally friendly sector worth approximately five thousand crore taka facing potential ruin.