Khabor Wala Desk
Published: 25th July 2026, 11:21 PM
A severe crisis in natural gas distribution has brought Dhaka’s compressed natural gas (CNG) transport sector to a grinding halt, leaving thousands of commercial drivers stranded in sprawling queues across the Bangladeshi capital.
Diminished pipeline pressure has drastically slowed operations at refuelling stations throughout the metropolitan area, forcing several establishments to suspend sales temporarily. Drivers now find themselves waiting for hours on end, often unable to secure enough fuel to sustain even a single day’s shift.
A survey of the capital on Saturday morning revealed extensive traffic jams clogging major thoroughfares and surrounding refuelling points. Long lines of vehicles were visible across key hubs, including:
Malibagh
Bishwa Road
Motijheel
Maniknagar
Khilgaon
Banasree
Mugda
Sabujbagh
Supply levels have plummeted far below normal daily demand, creating severe bottleneck conditions at almost every operational pump in the city.
The ramifications of the acute shortage extend beyond public transit into residential neighbourhoods. Unusually low pressure in domestic pipelines has disrupted home cooking from early morning through to mid-afternoon in various parts of Dhaka, piling additional domestic frustration onto urban households already grappling with rising costs.
Transport workers report that the supply situation has deteriorated markedly over the past week. Extended waiting times at stations have severely curtailed their active driving hours, causing daily takings to drop precipitously while fixed operating expenses remain unchanged.
For auto-rickshaw drivers and commercial fleet operators, daily financial commitments—such as vehicle lease deposits paid to fleet owners, vehicle loan repayments, and basic family living expenses—have become nearly impossible to cover.
Abdul Kader, Commercial Driver at Malibagh Hazipara Station: “I joined the queue early in the morning, and midday has arrived without me getting any gas. If my entire day is spent standing in line, when am I supposed to earn a living? Running a family is becoming nearly impossible.”
Drivers in other sectors of the city shared similar grievances, with many reporting entire working shifts lost to refuelling delays.
Sumon Mia, Driver at Bishwa Road’s Shanto Station: “The crisis has intensified over the last seven days. Often, waiting five or six hours yields no gas at all. This morning, after queuing for four hours, I received just enough fuel for two trips. Now I am back in line again. If this continues, paying the owner’s daily deposit and covering family expenses will be out of the question.”
Kamal Hossain, Driver at Best Eastern Station in Maniknagar: “Most of the day passes standing in gas lines. Consequently, income has dropped, making it extremely difficult to maintain the household.”
Refuelling station operators face severe technical hurdles as well. Depressed pressure within the municipal supply grid compromises heavy compressor machinery, leaving facilities incapable of running pumps at standard capacity.
Aminul Islam, Manager of the Shanto CNG Refuelling Station in Mugda Bishwa Road, explained the operational bottlenecks crippling local businesses:
Aminul Islam, Station Manager: “Due to inadequate gas pressure, we can only operate one low-pressure compressor out of two. This forces us to supply gas on a very limited scale, which inevitably creates long queues. Running the station under these conditions has become exceptionally difficult. Unless this crisis is resolved swiftly, maintaining regular operations and retaining staff will prove unsustainable.”
Without immediate state intervention to restore adequate pressure to the capital’s distribution network, both station owners and commercial transport workers warn that deeper economic disruption lies ahead for Dhaka’s urban transit ecosystem.
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