Staff Reporter :
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for the government to execute its decision to hike gas price from June 1 in the second phase.
On 28 February, Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain stayed till June 5 the HC order that stayed the decision of increasing the gas price from June 1.
The Chamber Judge passed the order following a petition filed by Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) seeking a stay on the HC order.
The apex court judge also sent the commission’s petition to the full bench of the Appellate Division for its hearing on June 5.
While passing the order on February 28, the High Court also questioned the legality of the move to increase the price in two phases.
The BERC on February 23 raised gas price for all consumers by 22.7 percent and decided to implement the hike in two phases. As per the new price effective from March 1, households using double burners pay Tk 800 instead of the existing Tk 650 while those using single burner pay Tk 750 instead of Tk 600.
As per the new price effective from June 1, households using double burners will pay Tk 950 instead of the current Tk 800, while those using single burner will pay Tk 900 instead of Tk 750. It means that Tk 150 increased for both the double and single burners.
