Brahmanbaria Gas Crisis: CNG Drivers Block Highway Amid Ongoing Shortage

A severe gas shortage has crippled household cooking and public transport in Brahmanbaria district, prompting CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers to stage a highway blockade. The crisis has been ongoing for nearly two weeks, with households struggling to cook due to inadequate gas supply through pipelines.

Many residents have resorted to using traditional clay stoves as an alternative, while some CNG-run auto-rickshaws are charging passengers higher fares to compensate for reduced access to fuel. Auto-rickshaw driver Russell Mia said drivers were charging higher fares because filling stations were not receiving enough gas.

The district has a demand of nearly 8 million cubic feet of gas per day, but the Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Limited is only supplying an average of 3 million cubic feet. Deputy General Manager Shafiqul Haque said the shortage was due to a lack of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and that it was not yet possible to say when the situation would improve.