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Ramadan sees low gas supply

Helemul Alam
Gas crisis in many areas across the capital intensified since Sunday, the first day of Ramadan, causing sufferings to thousands of city residents.
Residents of Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Matuail, Dhonia, Rayerbag, Purba Nakhalpara, Rampura, Jurain and Moghbazar have been suffering from gas crisis for the last four months but the situation got worse from Sunday.
Protima Rani Das, a resident of Dhonia, said gas supply in the area earlier would remain suspended from 11:00am till 2:00 pm but the supply had been cut off from 3:00pm to 8:30pm since the first day of Ramadan.
Touhidur Rahman, living at Mirpur-12, block-D, told The Daily Star that on the first Ramadan the supply was snapped at 10:30am and his family members waited for gas supply to resume until iftar.
He said they had to buy iftar items from a nearby shop as they could not cook anything at home.
"We usually face gas crisis from 12:00noon till 2:00 pm or 3:00 pm every day but the crisis intensified on the first day of Ramadan,” he said.
Ilias, a resident of Mirpur section-12, said he had to buy a kerosene stove from the market on Sunday afternoon for
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Ramadan
FROM PAGE 16 cooking iftar items.
"I waited for resumption of gas supply, cut off at 5:00pm, for over two hours in vain," said Khadiza Islam, a resident of Madrasa Road at Mohammadpur.
Gas supply in the area usually remains suspended for an hour or two from 12:00noon every day but it remained cut off from 5:00pm to 7:30pm on Sunday, she said.
Khalid Hasan, director (operation) of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd, said the demand for gas shoots up to 770 million cubic feet (mef) a day from 740 mef from the first day of Ramadan, resulting in shortage of gas in many areas.
A problem in supply network at Mirpur section-12 makes the residents there suffer the most from gas crisis, he said.
Usually city residents cook foods around 12:00noon but during Ramadan they do it at a time in the evening contributing to the ongoing gas crisis, he said.
"We shall try our best to solve the problem as soon as possible," Khalid said.
He said the country faces a gas shortage of 200 mef a day during the peak season.
The company director said the demand for gas in the capital has gone up to over 200 mef a day while the production stands at around 170 mef.