Govt orders strict action to ensure LPG sold at fixed price, curb syndicates: Minister
He informed that the Energy and Mineral Resources Division had already written to the Cabinet Division to take necessary steps to ensure compliance with the fixed LPG price.
The government has taken a strict stance to ensure liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders are sold at the government-set price at the consumer level and to prevent artificial supply crises created by syndicates, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood said today (19 April).
"Superintendents of police [SPs] and deputy commissioners [DCs] have been given special instructions to take legal action against hoarders, alongside conducting regular mobile court drives in the field," the minister said while responding to a written question from Pabna-5 MP Md Shamsur Rahman Simul Biswas during a parliament session.
He informed that the Energy and Mineral Resources Division had already written to the Cabinet Division to take necessary steps to ensure compliance with the fixed LPG price.
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"The Ministry of Home Affairs has also been requested to direct SPs to take legal action against those involved in irregularities," he added.
Mentioning that regular mobile court drives are being conducted across the country under district administrations, the minister said, "Businesses found guilty of hoarding are being fined and, in some cases, temporarily shut down."
According to him, to strengthen market monitoring, the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection has been instructed to ensure LPG is sold at prices set by the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC).
Special teams from the agency are conducting regular drives to oversee compliance.
The minister also said the LPG Operators Association of Bangladesh (LOAB) has been asked to coordinate with operators to maintain price discipline in the market.
Highlighting supply risks, he noted that about 98.67% of the country's LPG demand is met through imports. "To avoid disruptions amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, import data is being closely monitored through the National Board of Revenue's ASYCUDA World system."
"If any irregularities are detected in imports, the BERC has been instructed to take immediate action," he added.
