Kazi Zahidul Hasan :
A severe gas crisis has gripped industrial units at Tongi, Ashulia and Gazipur, crippling factory production significantly, insiders said.
They said shortages of gas coupled with low pressure have put the industrial units into ‘life support’ creating an uncertainty over their maximum output as well as manufacturing growth.
“Gas shortages have impacted on the industrial sector on large scale in terms of less production and worker productivity, forcing many units to shut their pick time production and lay off workers,” BGMEA President Siddiqur Rahman told The New Nation on Saturday.
According to him, textile and export-oriented apparel units located at Tongi, Ashulia and Gazipur are the worst victim of the current gas crisis.
Siddiqur Rahman said energy and power shortages for the manufacturing units are nothing new for us. But this time it seems to be worsened further. It can lead to job and export losses over the next several months.
The BGMEA leader is operating an export-oriented
apparel factory at Ashulia which is producing cloths for reputed global brand Wal-Mart.
“Gas crisis comes as a serious blow to us when we are busy for executing Christmas orders of Western buyers,” Abdus Salam Murshedy, a leading apparel exporter, told The New Nation yesterday.
He said factories at the industrial zones (Tongi, Ashulia and Gazipur) were getting gas at 20-30 PSI (pound per square inch) three-four days back. But it comes down to 5-6 PSI now compelling to reduce their production by one-third.
“Factories have to remain shut for more hours now than they did earlier as a result of gas crisis,” he added.
Murshedy, the incumbent President of the Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB), further said that unreliable energy supply forced many entrepreneurs to set up costly diesel generators to tackle the present situation. It has led to high cost of production harming competitiveness of local produces in the global market.
The EAB leader has several factories at Tongi, Ashulia and Gazipur.
“A demand supply gap is mainly responsible of the current crisis,” a high official of the Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited, told The New Nation yesterday asking not to be named.
“Titas is not getting sufficient gas from Petrobangla for industrial purpose and this has created the gap,” he added.
When asked, the official said they have already steps to prevent gas theft and illegal connections. Besides, Titas is implementing a project to address the issue of low gas pressure.
Petrobangla officials, however, attributed to widespread corruption and inefficiency in the gas distribution companies for the current shortages.
“Lack of effective management in transmission and distribution system is mainly responsible for the current gas crisis at Tongi, Ashulia and Gazipur industrial belts. Besides, illegal gas connection and use of boosters further worsened the situation,” Md Istiaque Ahmed, Chairman of Petrobangla told The New Nation yesterday.
A severe gas crisis has gripped industrial units at Tongi, Ashulia and Gazipur, crippling factory production significantly, insiders said.
They said shortages of gas coupled with low pressure have put the industrial units into ‘life support’ creating an uncertainty over their maximum output as well as manufacturing growth.
“Gas shortages have impacted on the industrial sector on large scale in terms of less production and worker productivity, forcing many units to shut their pick time production and lay off workers,” BGMEA President Siddiqur Rahman told The New Nation on Saturday.
According to him, textile and export-oriented apparel units located at Tongi, Ashulia and Gazipur are the worst victim of the current gas crisis.
Siddiqur Rahman said energy and power shortages for the manufacturing units are nothing new for us. But this time it seems to be worsened further. It can lead to job and export losses over the next several months.
The BGMEA leader is operating an export-oriented
apparel factory at Ashulia which is producing cloths for reputed global brand Wal-Mart.
“Gas crisis comes as a serious blow to us when we are busy for executing Christmas orders of Western buyers,” Abdus Salam Murshedy, a leading apparel exporter, told The New Nation yesterday.
He said factories at the industrial zones (Tongi, Ashulia and Gazipur) were getting gas at 20-30 PSI (pound per square inch) three-four days back. But it comes down to 5-6 PSI now compelling to reduce their production by one-third.
“Factories have to remain shut for more hours now than they did earlier as a result of gas crisis,” he added.
Murshedy, the incumbent President of the Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB), further said that unreliable energy supply forced many entrepreneurs to set up costly diesel generators to tackle the present situation. It has led to high cost of production harming competitiveness of local produces in the global market.
The EAB leader has several factories at Tongi, Ashulia and Gazipur.
“A demand supply gap is mainly responsible of the current crisis,” a high official of the Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited, told The New Nation yesterday asking not to be named.
“Titas is not getting sufficient gas from Petrobangla for industrial purpose and this has created the gap,” he added.
When asked, the official said they have already steps to prevent gas theft and illegal connections. Besides, Titas is implementing a project to address the issue of low gas pressure.
Petrobangla officials, however, attributed to widespread corruption and inefficiency in the gas distribution companies for the current shortages.
“Lack of effective management in transmission and distribution system is mainly responsible for the current gas crisis at Tongi, Ashulia and Gazipur industrial belts. Besides, illegal gas connection and use of boosters further worsened the situation,” Md Istiaque Ahmed, Chairman of Petrobangla told The New Nation yesterday.
