2 stoves Tk 1080, one stove Tk 990 recommended

Gas price hike

Staff Correspondent: The Technical Evaluation Committee of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) has recommended increasing the price of natural gas in the residential sector by Tk 105 per two stoves. Now residential customers have to pay Tk 975 per month for two stoves.
In the case of one stove, it has been recommended to increase the bill by Tk 65 – now customers have to pay Tk 925 per month for one stove.
The technical committee formed by BERC made the recommendation at a hearing of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited’s price hike proposal at the BIAM Foundation Auditorium in the capital yesterday.
If the BERC’s recommendation is implemented, the bill will increase to Tk 1,080 for two stoves. And in the case of one stove, it will be Tk 990.
At the hearing, Titas Gas proposed Tk 27.37 per cubic meter for meter-based stoves at the consumer level. The current price is Tk 12.60.
Contrary to this proposal, the technical committee has recommended Tk 18 per cubic meter for meter-based stoves at the consumer level.

The BERC held a second-day hearing on the gas price hike proposal on Wednesday at the BIAM Foundation Auditorium in Eskaton.

Meanwhile, the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) has strongly opposed BERC’s recommendation to increase prices in the previous day’s hearing. “There is no opportunity to pay more than the revenue demand to run a state-owned company,” the organization says.

Six gas distribution companies in the country proposed an average price increase of 117 percent in January. They demanded Tk 2,000 for one stove and Tk 2,100 for two stoves.

BERC chairman Abdul Jalil said at the hearing on Tuesday that the 117 percent price hike proposal “was not realistic” in the current situation. No decision will be made based on weak information.