Gas outage in Ctg: Traders charge extra for stoves, kerosene

Chattogram's gas outage, caused by the temporary shutdown of two LNG terminals due to Cyclone Mocha, has compelled residents to seek alternative options for cooked meals.

Many people are relying on restaurants to order in or resorting to alternative cooking methods, including the use of cylinder gas, electric ovens, rice cookers, as well as kerosene stoves, ovens, and electric kettles. 

People are in disarray as traders have significantly increased prices of these items. 

"Due to the gas outage, I had to purchase a stove for Tk350 and one litre of kerosene for Tk150. Typically, this stove is priced at Tk220, and kerosene is sold for less than Tk109 per litre," Ctg resident Morshed Talkudar wrote on Facebook.

During a visit to Golam Rasul Market, a wholesale market for crockery products in the port city, it was observed that a large number of people flocked to the crockery shops to purchase electric stoves and rice cookers.
 
Unfortunately, some traders took advantage of the high demand and increased the prices of each electric stove by Tk300-Tk500 and rice cookers by up to Tk200-300. 

Furthermore, the prices of nonstick pans have also risen due to their compatibility with electric stoves, making them a preferred choice for many customers.

Tipu, sales staff of Ayesha Crockeries at Golam Rasul Market, said the sales of electric ovens and rice cookers have witnessed a slight increase since Saturday. 

However, he mentioned that as the shop was opened this morning, there was an overwhelming influx of customers, resulting in almost depleted stock. This scarcity is primarily because the majority of these products are imported.

Fazlul Karim Manik, a businessman of Reyazuddin Bazar, said stoves, electric stoves and rice cookers have been sold at double their usual prices in crockery shops since morning. 

The demand for these products has been exceptionally high, leading to their unavailability in the market since the afternoon, he added.

Due to the increased demand for food, long queues have formed at restaurants, causing online food delivery platforms, including foodpanda, to become overwhelmed and experience significant delays. 

Mahfuza Rahat, an employee at a private company, shared her experience of the gas outage at home, which left her unable to cook. 

"I attempted to order food through foodpanda around 11:30am upon reaching the office. However, I encountered difficulties as most restaurants had limited food supplies available at that time," she said.

Mentioning that she also faced difficulties even in accessing the online platforms, Mahfuza said she was finally able to collect her food from a restaurant around 2pm.

According to data from the Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited (KGDCL), the total daily demand of gas across the country is 3,200 to 3,300 million cubic feet. Of this, the daily gas demand in Chittagong is 300 to 350 million cubic feet. 

LNG gas imported from abroad from the floating terminal at Maheshkhali is supplied across the country through pipelines. At present, 700 to 750 million cubic feet of gas is supplied daily from Maheshkhali. 

The gas from Maheshkhali meets the demand of Chattogram and the remaining gas is supplied to the national grid. Out of this, Chittagong requires 50 to 60 million cubic feet of gas per day for residential use, but currently, due to the gas shortage, the gas supply to residents through pipelines has been stopped in the entire Chattogram.