A severe breakdown in LNG supply across the national grid, the crisis at CNG filling stations in the capital has taken a turn for the worse. Today, Friday (August 14), even on a weekly holiday, the suffering of CNG-driven vehicle drivers across the city reached an extreme level.
Since early morning, long queues of hundreds of auto-rickshaws and private vehicles were seen outside filling stations across Dhaka. However, despite waiting in line for hours, most drivers failed to get gas due to inadequate pipeline pressure (PSI). With the situation spiraling out of control, numerous CNG stations across the capital suspended operations, hanging ‘No Gas’ signboards at their entry gates.
Low- and middle-income CNG auto-rickshaw drivers and ride-sharing service providers have been hit the hardest. Drivers reported spending more than half of their day queued up at filling stations. On one hand, their daily income has fallen sharply due to an inability to haul passengers; on the other hand, covering basic family expenses after paying the owners’ fixed daily deposit fees has become nearly impossible.
Station attendants explained that compressors cannot be operated without required pressure in the gas supply lines. If this unprecedented paralysis at CNG stations continues, severe disruptions and chaos in public transport across the capital are expected to escalate in the coming days.
