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Acute shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders and its high prices all of a sudden has left Chandpur residents reeling in hardships during food preparation as consumers seen running from one shops to another in vain and food shops, restaurants and hotels suffering losses.
Talking to the FE, a number of owners of restaurants, hotels and fast food shops as well as pitha, or, winter cake makers alleged that LPG traders have been demanding excessive prices for the cylinders despite the price of gas is fixed.
A LPG cylinder of 12 kgs should not exceed Tk 1,306 for the month of January as per the government set price after it was hiked by Tk 53 from last month's price.
Sabina Yesmine, Hosne Ara Begum, Hasina Akter are among the women who said that they have been suffering immensely due to the LPG crisis, and they are not used to cook in earthen ovens.
Mohammad Billal Hossain, Abul Hashem, Shajedul Islam and Moazzem Hossain are among the winter cake sellers who alleged that seven to eight days ago per 12 kg LPG cylinder was sold at Tk 1300, which, for the past three to four days, has shot up to Tk 1,950.
Restaurant and hotel owners Arif Hossain, Oliullah Mia and others have made the same allegation.
People of Chandpur town have been managing food items from local hotels, or from their relatives. This correspondent were informed of such a situation in Haji Mohsin Road area, Nazir Para area, Molla Bari road, Comilla road area, Stadium road, Koralia road, Jamuna Road, Natunbazar, Pal Bazar and Puranbazar. Simillarly, the same situation reportedly prevails in other six upazilas where hotel, restaurant owners, and households have been facing the same problems.
Meanwhile, Tanjina Jahan, executive magistrate and assistant commissioner (AC) Land (Hajiganj) operated a mobile court in Hajiganj Bazar and fined three gas traders Tk 15,000 for allegedly selling LP gas at a high rate, ignoring govt directives.
In a similar mobile court in Matlab Uttar's Chhengarchar Bazar, Executive Magistrate Md Rahmatullah fined a gas trader Tk 10,000 for hoarding gas cylinders in his godown adjacent to his shop on January 3.
Moreover, in Kachua Bazar of Kachua Upazila Executive Magistrate Abu Nasser, through a mobile court on January 5, fined a gas trader Tk 10,000 and at the same time warned him and others against selling gas cylinders at high rate ignoring govt rate.
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