Ready-made garment (RMG) exporters have urged the government to ensure uninterrupted access to compressed natural gas (CNG) from filling stations, as the fuel has become essential for factories struggling with severe pipeline gas shortages.
"We have requested the government to ensure an uninterrupted CNG supply so that production and exports are not disrupted," BKMEA President Mohammad Hatem told The Financial Express on Wednesday.
He said factories were facing severe gas shortages, while many had managed to continue operations by using CNG collected from nearby filling stations.
Mr Hatem was speaking a couple of days after a meeting on Monday between leaders of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) and Energy and Mineral Resources Division Secretary Mohammad Saiful Islam.
He said the secretary had instructed the Managing Director of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd. to urgently withdraw a recent circular that had been interpreted as restricting garment factories from procuring CNG from filling stations.
He also assured the industry that RMG factories would be allowed to continue purchasing CNG from filling stations without interruption.
Apparel industry leaders told the meeting that many factories had been relying on CNG collected from nearby filling stations to keep production running amid the ongoing gas crisis.
The exporters' appeal came after Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd. instructed CNG filling stations to stop supplying natural gas into unauthorised open cylinders and cascade cylinders transported by covered vans and trucks.
On July 26, Titas issued a letter to the owners and managing directors of 21 CNG filling stations in the Tangail and Gazipur regions, directing them to immediately halt the practice.
The state-owned gas distributor warned that any station violating the directive would face suspension of gas supply and other legal action.
According to Titas, CNG is authorised solely as a fuel for motor vehicles. However, inspections found that some filling stations had been supplying gas into open or cascade cylinders carried by covered vans and trucks instead of dispensing it directly into vehicles.
The company said the practice violates the Bangladesh Gas Act, 2010, and the Gas Marketing Rules, 2026, while also posing significant safety risks.
Titas has formed a joint monitoring team to conduct regular inspections of CNG filling stations and directed operators to comply with regulations to ensure safe and uninterrupted services.
In a Facebook post after the meeting, Mr Hatem said the government had responded positively to the industry's concerns, recognising the need to maintain industrial production during the ongoing energy crisis.
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