HC halts gas price hike for 6 months

The High court on Tuesday halted for six months the decision to raise prices of gas for household and industrial use for the second time in June.

The order came four days after the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission announced the tariff hike in two phases from 1 March and 1 June.

The court order would not affect the increase in gas tariff to be effective from 1 March but stayed the decision to raise it from 1 June.

The HC asked the commission chairman, Monowar Islam, and its secretary Faizur Rahman to explain why the latest public notification on the gas price hike should not be declared illegal.

An HC bench of justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and justice JBM Hassan passed the order following a writ petition filed by the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) challenging the legality of the government notification for the gas price hike.

CAB convener architect Mubassher Hossain submitted the petition on Monday.

The petitioner said the relevant law of the commission does not allow the regulatory body to increase gas price more than once a year.

Source: Prothom Alo