‘If there is no LPG shortage, why was the price raised again after five days?’: Tajnuva Jabeen

Politician and activist Tajnuva Jabeen has questioned the government over its latest LPG price hike, asking why consumers are being forced to pay more only days after importers and operators said there was no shortage in the country.

“If there is no shortage, why was the price of cylinder gas raised again just five days later?” Jabeen said on her verified Facebook profile on Sunday.

The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) on October 4 raised the price of a 12-kg LPG cylinder by 252 taka to 1,837 taka.

At the beginning of September, BERC had fixed the price of the same cylinder at 1,585 taka.

Jabeen said consumers were already paying well above the regulated price, with cylinders reportedly being sold for 400 to 800 taka more than the official rate in Dhaka and several districts.

With the latest increase, she said consumers now feared they could end up paying as much as 2,600 to 2,700 taka for a 12-kg cylinder.

Jabeen pointed to a September 28 meeting between the commerce minister and LPG operators.

Following the meeting, the Commerce Ministry said LPG importers and operators had informed officials that there was “currently no shortage of LP gas of any kind”, according to BBC Bangla.

The price was increased five days later.

“So why was the price raised again just five days after that meeting if there was no shortage?” Jabeen asked.

LPG imports in Bangladesh are largely handled by private companies. Citing BERC data, Jabeen said that while 52 companies hold licences to operate LPG businesses, only eight or nine regularly import the fuel.

She alleged that importers and traders were aware that fewer orders had been placed for October and that supplies would consequently be tighter.

She questioned whether some businesses had deliberately stockpiled LPG in anticipation that reduced supply would eventually force the government to approve a higher price.

Jabeen also cited a Jugantor report saying two intelligence agencies had found indications that several LPG operators were attempting to create an artificial shortage in the cylinder market to make substantial profits.

According to the report, the findings were communicated to senior levels of the government, prompting the energy minister to hold talks with the LPG Operators Association of Bangladesh.

The commerce minister had also recently instructed deputy commissioners through an online meeting to take action against businesses creating artificial shortages or charging consumers above the regulated price.

Jabeen questioned whether issuing such instructions was enough.

“Fine. And then what? Is that where it ends?” she said.

She said raising the issue should not be viewed simply as criticism of the government, arguing that scrutiny of matters affecting ordinary people was particularly important after the mass uprising.

“We do not raise these issues merely for the sake of criticising the government,” Jabeen said. “After the mass uprising, we will scrutinise every issue involving the public interest.”

She said the public deserved to know whether businesses were using the Middle East conflict and uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz as justification for price increases that may not fully reflect actual supply conditions.

“We want a clear answer from the government as to whether anyone is using the war in the Middle East, the Strait of Hormuz and similar factors as a pretext to deceive the public and make people suffer,” she said.

Jabeen also criticised the growing cost of living in Dhaka, saying the LPG episode reflected a broader affordability crisis facing residents of the capital.

“Perhaps one day, researchers at some of the world’s leading universities will study how Dhaka managed to become both one of the least liveable cities in the world and one of the most expensive,” she said.

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