Business leaders urge BERC to drop proposal to up gas price

Gas transmission station

Dhaka, Mar 10 - Some top 15 business leaders on Monday jointly appealed to the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) to turn town the proposal of Petrobangla and six other gas distribution companies to raise the gas price for additional load and new connections.

The business leaders include Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) Shawkat Aziz Russel, former FBCCI president Mir Nasir Hossain, BGMEA administrator Anwar Hossain, BCI president Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez, MCCI President Kamran T Rahman, DCCI president Taskin Ahmed, BKMEA President Mohammad Hatem, LFMEAB President Syed Nasim Manjur, BCMEA President Mainul Islam Shawpan, BPGMEA President Shamim Ahmed, managing director of City Group Md Hasan and chairman of Uttara Motors Corporation Md Matiur Rahman.

The business leaders referring to the BERC’s recent hearing on the issue said that raising gas price for any particular group of consumers will create discrimination among the industries which is contrary to the country’s constitution as well as the BERC Act.

They said instead of raising gas price, the BERC should take measures to reduce the 13 percent system loss.

It said that the country’s business community has been in a great dilemma following the move by the Petrobangla and its six distribution companies to raise the gas price for additional load and new connections.

If the gas price is raised by any means it will have a negative impact on the overall business as private enterprises contribute 90 percent to the country’s economy, said the business leaders. - UNB