Discontent is brewing among businessmen and industrialists in the port city following insufficient supplies of natural gas to the industrial units of Chittagong. New gas connections,
too, are not being provided by the government.
Ignoring the demands by businessmen and industrialists of Chittagong and the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), sufficient gas is not being supplied to the industrial units and new gas lines are not being provided in the port city. As a result, industrial production has been severely hampered. The power generating units have been affected as well.
Though the government has decided to supply gas to Chittagong, the authorities are yet to take any step in this regard. As production of gas in the country has increased to 2,250 cft now, from the earlier 1,700 cft, Chittagong has laid claims to the gas connections on a priority basis, CCCI president Mahabubul Alam told The Independent, on Sunday.
Alam said, “Gas is the most important input for the industrial and economic development of the country as well as of the port city of Chittagong. Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited (KGDCL) is supplying 210 to 220 million cft gas in Chittagong against the total demand for more than 360 million cft. The gross domestic product (GDP) has declined 29 per cent in the industrial sector solely because of the gas crisis. Besides, thousands of crores of Takas of investment by industrialists in the port city are lying idle due to the gas crisis, as it has severely hampered production in Chittagong. Many foreign orders have already been cancelled because of the gas crisis. The reputation of our businessmen and the country’s image have been tarnished since the foreign orders in the garments sectors have been cancelled.”
Discussing the gas crisis in the country, Chittagong Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CMCCI) president Alhaj Khalilur Rahman said, “It is true that adequate gas is not there in our country. So, we will have to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from other countries. If the government does not take a decision to import LNG, the gas and power crises will not be solved.”
“Once earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had taken the initiative to import LNG. But, the initiative of the Prime Minister has been suspended because of reasons not known to us. At present, I request the Prime Minister to take further steps for importing LNG to ensure industrial growth,” Alhaj Khalilur Rahman added.
The CCCI had earlier written a letter to Dr Towfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, the energy adviser to the Prime Minister, urging the government to do away with all discrimination regarding gas supply. In the letter, CCCI chief Mahabubul Alam had said many of the industrial units cannot operate their production due to a lack of gas supply and dearth of new gas connections.
Again, industrialists who have imported machinery worth around Tk. 400 crore will find that their equipment will be damaged for the same reason. Besides, investment has already declined by around Tk. 150 crore in the Chittagong area due to lack of gas supplies in the last several years, the letter added.
In the letter, CCCI chief also expressed dissatisfaction over the government decision to give permissions for new gas connections to 92 industries in the country, but not to any industry in Chittagong. He said in the letter that the government recently withdrew its decision to stop providing gas connections to industries and granted permissions to a total of 92 industries. But, of these 92 industries, not one is in Chittagong; they have been set up in other districts of the country. This is clearly discriminatory against Chittagong, he said.
Sources said gas supply to the industries, particularly the re-rolling mills, was suspended from September 11, in the port city. As a result, production at the mills have been severely hampered. The leaders of the business community have expressed deep concern over the suspension in gas supplies.
The sources said the crises in gas and power are the prime obstacles in the way of industrial development in Chittagong. The industries at Kalurghat, Sitakunda and the Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) and the garments industries are suffering from inadequate supply of gas and power in Chittagong.
According to the CCCI, more than 200 industrial units are now in the pipeline for starting production. Of these, 68 industrial units are more or less ready. But, they cannot be kick-started due to the shortage of gas.
The total demand of Chittagong is met by the productions of Sangu, Bakhrabad, Feni, Salda and Meghna gas fields.
-With The Independent input
