Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, a passenger welfare platform, says that the government has created a space of stoking social unrest and increasing the cost of livelihood of people by hiking the gas price.

Gas price will be increased for all users by 32.8pc from July 1. Price of single burner will be Tk925, double burner Tk 975, says BERC.

There would have been no need to increase the gas price even if half of the corruption in Petrobangla and Titas was reduced, the High Court said yesterday.

Business leaders yesterday spoke out against the distribution companies' proposal to hike the gas price by 132 percent for industrial units and recommended raising the prices in phases.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir says that his party will go on tough agitation if the government hikes the prices of gas.

In the face of strong opposition from consumers, the energy regulator hinted it may raise gas prices lower than that proposed by the distributors as the four-day public hearing on the proposals ended yesterday.

Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (Berc) held its public hearing on proposals for raising gas prices for the third consecutive day as left-leaning parties threatened to go for action programmes like hartal if the government does backtrack on its move.

The High Court is to deliver its order on March 31 on a petition that challenged the legality of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission’s ongoing public hearing for further increasing gas price.

All of the country's five gas distribution companies have demanded gas price hike at consumer level at the latest Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) public hearing.

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and a number of other trade bodies yesterday joined a growing list of groups and people who are demanding scrapping of the government's plan to increase gas price further.

The energy regulator may soon increase gas prices for industries, power stations, filling stations, fertiliser factories and tea estates as the government is set to pass the price of imported liquefied natural gas on to users.

The proposal to increase the price of natural gas by Titas Gas is totally unreasonable since this will pose an extra burden on the already burdened ordinary consumers, many of whom do not even get regular supply of gas. Residents of many areas of the capital have to face gas crisis due to shortage in supply.

The High Court yesterday declared the June-1 hike of household gas price illegal.

The High Court declares illegal the increase of second phase gas price for the domestic use from June 1. It, however, condoned the tariff already collected from the consumers for the months of last June and July.

The Supreme Court extends its endorsement on the second gas price hike this year. The apex court also asked the High Court bench that stayed the second hike to hear and dispose of its (HC) rule issued over the legality of the increment by July.

Police foil a march to energy ministry, protesting the gas price hike, using tear gas canisters and water cannons near Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka.The march was organised by Gonotantrik Bam Morcha (democratic left alliance), an alliance of left-leaning political parties.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader says the government will decide after September 10 about increasing the transport fare following a hike in the prices of gas.