Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) is in the final stage to hike gas price by an average of 50% for consumers of all level.After the hike, the domestic users will have to pay Tk 100 every month instead of Tk 650 for double burners, which is a 53.84% hike in price, an official with BERC told The Independent.
Tk 800 has been proposed for single burners, from the current Tk600, he added.
The BERC official said that the date of announcement of the new price hike hasn’t been fixed yet. The acting Chairman is talking with the Prime Minister’s office to fix the date,” he said.
The official said that the declaration of new price for gas is being delayed as the two posts of commissioner for BERC IS vacant now. A total of eight applications for the post of commissioner have been submitted to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources.
He hinted that the tenure of the acting chairman will end by December 22 and the chairman wants to declare the price hike before that so that his tenure might get renewed.
When asked, BERC acting chairman Md Maksudul Haque declined to comment on the issue. He said that he is working as an acting chairman. “We hope to have the new appointments very soon,” said BERC acting chairman Md Maksudul Haque
He said that the energy regulator has already completed all the formalities and paperwork to re-fix the gas price after they had conducted public hearing five months ago.
“We may announce the decision anytime,” he said.
In august this year, BERC hold an eight-day public hearing on gas transmission tariff and price hike proposals submitted by the state-owned gas transmission and distribution companies.
The companies were Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd, Pashchimanchal Gas Company Limited, Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Limited, Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited, Jalalabad Gas Transmission and Distribution System Limited and Sundarban Gas Company Limited.
According to their proposals, domestic users would have to pay Tk 1,200 every month instead of Tk 650 for double burners, which was an 85% hike.-STAFF REPORTER
