Monthly gas crisis hits AGNCS in Sylhet

AGNCS in Sylhet is dealing with the usual gas crisis at the end of the month, which has resulted in the temporary closure of many pumping stations. Long queues of vehicles waiting to fill up are a common occurrence at operating stations, causing significant headaches for station owners, drivers and passengers.

The gas shortage usually worsens at the end of the month, and this problem has persisted for more than a decade. The owners of AGNKS reported that due to a backlog in gas supply, they cannot meet demand during the last ten days of each month.

The situation has only worsened despite repeated written and verbal requests to the Jalalabad Gas authorities for a solution. Due to these ongoing problems, gas station owners are planning organized protests to address their grievances.

Since 2007, gas has been supplied to transporters from LNG filling stations in Sylhet, of which there are currently 56 in the division. However, no new stations have been approved in the last decade.

Meanwhile, the number of vehicles on the road has quadrupled since 2007, but gas supplies remain based on outdated quotas.

Gas station owners said the Jalalabad Gas Authority has set specific quotas for each station, with fines imposed on those who exceed the supply. Since these quotas are often exhausted by the end of the month, this is another factor that leads to a crisis at the end of each month.

Reports on the ground confirmed that many filling stations in Sylhet were closed on Sunday, including Ambarkhana Jalalabad Filling Station, Independent Filling Station, Shahjalal Filling Station and Tamekhi Shafaatullah Filling Station.

Autorickshaw drivers running on CNG have expressed their frustration, noting that the gas crisis at the end of every month causes serious hardship for drivers and passengers. They urged the government to solve the problem of gas supply to Sylhet.

Zubair Ahmed Chowdhury, chief president of the Bangladesh Association of Oil Dealers, Distributors, Agents and Petrol Pump Owners, said they have repeatedly demanded Jalalabad Gas to increase gas distribution.

However, the authorities did not take this issue seriously, citing national shortages as an excuse for inaction.