Are meals to soon become more expensive for Bangladeshis?

According to a BERC official, the household users will have to pay Tk750 every month instead of Tk650 for double burners, and Tk700 has been proposed for single burners, from the current Tk600. According to a BERC official, the household users will have to pay Tk750 every month instead of Tk650 for double burners, and Tk700 has been proposed for single burners, from the current Tk600. This is a direct 15% hike in price. While the country’s upper-middle class and above may not feel much of the pang from the change, this hike in gas price can soon become burdensome for the rest by making their home-cooked meals more expensive. On the same note, the official also informed that the energy regulator will issue a notice announcing an average of 20% rise in prices of gas announcing Tk100 rise in the price of using single and double gas burners. All these hikes are likely to come into effect on December 1, he said. However, none of the decisions are finalised as of yet, he also added. After three months of public hearing, these decisions are soon to be made public through a press briefing at the BERC office. “We have completed the formalities, after the public hearing, to re-fix the gas price. We may announce the decision anytime,” said BERC acting chairman Md Maksudul Haque. In August this year, BERC held an eight-day public hearing on gas transmission tariff and price hike proposals submitted by seven state-owned gas transmission and distribution companies. According to the proposals, it was initially proposed to charge the household users Tk 1,200 every month instead of Tk650 for double burners and Tk 1,100 for single burners instead of Tk 600; which was a massive 85% hike. Also consumers using meter-based burners were proposed to pay Tk16.80 instead of Tk7 for per cubic metre of gas which suggested an increase of 140% on the present price. Alongside, the proposals also asked for increases in prices of gas used for commercial purposes in power plants, tea gardens, fertiliser companies and for all other industrial users. Gas Transmission Company Limited additionally proposed that the BERC raise gas transmission tariff from Tk0.1565 to Tk0.4213 per cubic metre. “Two decisions were made for CNG price hike- either to hike it for all, or to impose surcharge only for private car users,” the BERC official told the Dhaka Tribune. “The private car users may have to pay an annual surcharge on CNG price, if the decision is finalised. The BRTA would collect the surcharge,” he said. He said the government is not in favor of raising CNG price for all as the previous experience shows the bus owners consequently hikes the fare irrationally by manifold if the CNG price is raised for all. Keeping that in mind, the authorities are planning to impose surcharge only on the private car users. The six companies that distribute gas across the country are Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd, Pashchimanchal Gas Company Limited, Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Limited, Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited, Jalalabad Gas Transmission and Distribution System Limited and Sundarban Gas Company Limited. The gas prices were last revised on September 1 last year. Source: Dhaka Tribune