The Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, a passenger welfare organisation, has called for the immediate withdrawal of the recent increase in fuel prices and demanded that the government restore the previous rates at a time when global oil prices are falling.
The organisation’s secretary-general, Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, made the demand in a statement issued to the media on Monday morning, September 21.
The statement said international oil prices were currently on a downward trend, while Bangladesh was facing mounting economic pressures, including rising living costs, higher inflation, fuel shortages and increased unemployment linked to the closure of several factories.
“Amid such circumstances, the government should stand by the people rather than burden them further,” the statement said.
The organisation criticised the government’s decision to raise fuel prices twice within seven months of taking office, saying the increases had pushed up the cost of transport, communication, goods and passenger services, as well as industrial production.
It described the latest increase as a “publicly unpopular decision” and urged the government to reverse the higher fuel prices immediately and restore the previous rates.
The passenger welfare organisation also argued that governments sometimes have to absorb higher costs or provide subsidies in the public interest.
“At this moment of severe economic hardship, it is the government’s responsibility to support people in distress by providing subsidies to the energy sector, keeping the economy moving and helping to bring down inflation,” Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury said.
The organisation warned that higher fuel prices could further increase transport and production costs, placing additional pressure on households and businesses already struggling with the rising cost of living.