Staff Reporter :
Hundreds of activists of left-leaning political parties took to the city streets on Tuesday protesting an increase in the price of gas.
Police charged baton indiscriminately, lobbed teargas canisters and fired water cannon to disperse the agitated demonstrators after they tried to block roads at busy intersection of Shahbagh leaving at least 30 persons injured during the half-day strike.
The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission last week announced an increase in gas
price by an average 22.7 per cent in the fist phase starting March 1. The second time increase in less than two years will be implemented from the next month despite objections from political parties and industry groups, including the garments sector. Thousands of people use gas for cooking and for running vehicles, and it is also used to generate electricity.
The demonstrators claimed that police detained about a dozen protesters, including Nasir Uddin Prince, general secretary of a fraction of Samajtantrik Chhatra Front. Most of them were detained from Shahbagh area.
On the other hand, police said that they detained some persons on charge of blocking traffic and damaging public properties.
Police officer Sheikh Abul Bashar said: “We had to use water cannon and fire teargas as the protesters paid no heed to our requests to move away.”
Communist Party of Bangladesh, Socialist Party of Bangladesh, Ganasanghati Andolan, and Democratic Left Alliance held separate processions and rallies in Paltan and National Press Club areas supporting the strike.
President of Student Union Lucky Akter said: “The government has illogically burdened people with the increase. We demand the government scrap the decision.” President of Bangladesh Chhatra Union’s Dhaka University unit Tuhin Kanti Das said: “We have been demonstrating peacefully since the morning. Police have attacked us for no reason.”
After the six-hour shutdown ended at 12:00 noon, the left alliance parties, including Communist Party of Bangladesh, Socialist Party of Bangladesh, Democratic Left Alliance and Ganatantrik Bam Morcha, announced a march towards the Energy Ministry on March 15. It also announced plans for agitation between March 1 and 15.
Soon after the announcement of the price revision by BERC, the CPB and BaSod next day called for yesterday’s [Tuesday] shutdown, which had been supported by several other parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e Islami. Witnesses said the activists of an alliance of leftist student bodies blocked the Shahbagh intersection since early morning disrupting vehicular traffic in the area. Around 10:30am, a chase and counter chase took place between police and the demonstrators, when the law enforcers resorted to water cannon. The protesters were seen hurling brickbats at the police at that time. However, the police intervention forced agitators to leave the Shahbagh intersection.
After that, they tried to demonstrate on the street in front of the Central Library, but police forced them to leave the spot.
At a rally in front of the National Press Club, the Ban Morcha announced a march towards the Energy Ministry on March 15.
Household gas charge for a single burner stove will be Tk 750 [up from Tk 600 now] from March 1 and TK 800 [up from TK 650 now] for a double burner stove. In the second phase from Jun 1, the monthly charge for a single burner stove will be Tk 900 and for a double burner stove Tk 950.
Those, who pay the gas bills for household use through meters, will have to pay Tk 9.1 per cubic metre from March and Tk 11.2 from June. They are currently paying Tk 7 per cubic metre. It means that stove-based charges are rising by 50 per cent while meter-based gas cost will go up 60 per cent.
Price of compressed natural gas [CNG], used for automobiles, will go up from Tk 35 to 38 per cubic metre in March and to Tk 40 in June. The 14.28 per cent hike will drive up the fares in public transport as well.
Hundreds of activists of left-leaning political parties took to the city streets on Tuesday protesting an increase in the price of gas.
Police charged baton indiscriminately, lobbed teargas canisters and fired water cannon to disperse the agitated demonstrators after they tried to block roads at busy intersection of Shahbagh leaving at least 30 persons injured during the half-day strike.
The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission last week announced an increase in gas
price by an average 22.7 per cent in the fist phase starting March 1. The second time increase in less than two years will be implemented from the next month despite objections from political parties and industry groups, including the garments sector. Thousands of people use gas for cooking and for running vehicles, and it is also used to generate electricity.
The demonstrators claimed that police detained about a dozen protesters, including Nasir Uddin Prince, general secretary of a fraction of Samajtantrik Chhatra Front. Most of them were detained from Shahbagh area.
On the other hand, police said that they detained some persons on charge of blocking traffic and damaging public properties.
Police officer Sheikh Abul Bashar said: “We had to use water cannon and fire teargas as the protesters paid no heed to our requests to move away.”
Communist Party of Bangladesh, Socialist Party of Bangladesh, Ganasanghati Andolan, and Democratic Left Alliance held separate processions and rallies in Paltan and National Press Club areas supporting the strike.
President of Student Union Lucky Akter said: “The government has illogically burdened people with the increase. We demand the government scrap the decision.” President of Bangladesh Chhatra Union’s Dhaka University unit Tuhin Kanti Das said: “We have been demonstrating peacefully since the morning. Police have attacked us for no reason.”
After the six-hour shutdown ended at 12:00 noon, the left alliance parties, including Communist Party of Bangladesh, Socialist Party of Bangladesh, Democratic Left Alliance and Ganatantrik Bam Morcha, announced a march towards the Energy Ministry on March 15. It also announced plans for agitation between March 1 and 15.
Soon after the announcement of the price revision by BERC, the CPB and BaSod next day called for yesterday’s [Tuesday] shutdown, which had been supported by several other parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e Islami. Witnesses said the activists of an alliance of leftist student bodies blocked the Shahbagh intersection since early morning disrupting vehicular traffic in the area. Around 10:30am, a chase and counter chase took place between police and the demonstrators, when the law enforcers resorted to water cannon. The protesters were seen hurling brickbats at the police at that time. However, the police intervention forced agitators to leave the Shahbagh intersection.
After that, they tried to demonstrate on the street in front of the Central Library, but police forced them to leave the spot.
At a rally in front of the National Press Club, the Ban Morcha announced a march towards the Energy Ministry on March 15.
Household gas charge for a single burner stove will be Tk 750 [up from Tk 600 now] from March 1 and TK 800 [up from TK 650 now] for a double burner stove. In the second phase from Jun 1, the monthly charge for a single burner stove will be Tk 900 and for a double burner stove Tk 950.
Those, who pay the gas bills for household use through meters, will have to pay Tk 9.1 per cubic metre from March and Tk 11.2 from June. They are currently paying Tk 7 per cubic metre. It means that stove-based charges are rising by 50 per cent while meter-based gas cost will go up 60 per cent.
Price of compressed natural gas [CNG], used for automobiles, will go up from Tk 35 to 38 per cubic metre in March and to Tk 40 in June. The 14.28 per cent hike will drive up the fares in public transport as well.
