A severe gas shortage has disrupted production at several gas-dependent factories in Ashulia, with some facilities forced to suspend operations altogether and others running at sharply reduced capacity. Factory owners and officials say the continuing crisis is causing substantial financial losses, raising production costs and increasing pressure to cut jobs if the situation persists.

At A R Wet Processing Ltd, a factory owned by Fashion Globe Group in the Kathgara Amtala area of Ashulia, production was halted completely on Thursday morning after operating at reduced capacity for several weeks. Operations continued until Wednesday night, but a visit to the facility the following morning found all three sections shut.

Only security guards and a few officials were present on the premises. No workers were seen.

Production falls by up to 75%

Factory officials said production had fallen by as much as 75 per cent since the gas shortage began. The facility has a daily production capacity of 50,000 pieces, but even after arranging gas from outside, it managed to produce no more than 20,000 pieces at its best.

The factory’s dry process, washing and finishing quality sections contain between 80 and 90 machines, of which 24 have had to remain shut. During a visit to the factory, the gas meter showed a pressure of 2.5 pounds per square inch (PSI).

Officials said the facility requires gas pressure of around 10 PSI for normal production. Instead, pressure has fluctuated between zero and 2.5 PSI. Even when the pressure reaches 2.5 PSI, they said, the quality of the gas is sometimes too poor for effective use.

RAK Liton, company secretary of Fashion Globe Group, said production at the washing plant had fallen by up to 75 per cent. The company has attempted to address the shortage by bringing in gas from outside and arranging supplies in a manner similar to a compressed natural gas station, but the measure has failed to restore normal operations.

The alternative arrangement is costing the company an additional Tk30,000 per hour, he said. For nearly half of the day, gas pressure remains at zero.

Liton added that many gas-dependent factories across Savar and Ashulia were facing similar difficulties.

Factories count mounting losses

A textile factory owned by Pakiza Group has reportedly remained completely closed for 15 days because of the gas shortage, according to a company official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official estimated the factory’s daily losses at around Tk1 crore. Security guards also confirmed that no workers were inside the premises. Several workers arrived at the factory gate on Thursday morning but were reportedly turned away.

At Ring Shine Textile Ltd, the situation is also severe. Managing Director Aniruddha Piyal said the dyeing factory was technically open but had virtually stopped production because of inadequate gas pressure.

The factory has a daily production capacity of 90 tonnes, but is currently unable to produce even two tonnes, he said. The disruption is also leaving workers without productive work.

Piyal said irregular gas pressure was making the losses worse. Whenever a small amount of gas became available, the factory would start its machines, only for the supply to disappear before the machines could reach the required operating temperature.

Each production batch contains goods worth between Tk8 crore and Tk10 crore, he said. Repeated interruptions therefore create significant operational and financial risks.

Ring Shine Textile employs 975 workers, whose wages still have to be paid despite the production disruption. As the factory operates under the Dhaka Export Processing Zone, workers’ wages are required to be paid by the 10th of each month.

Job cuts emerge as a growing concern

The crisis is also affecting spinning mills that are attempting to rely on alternative energy sources.

Khorshed Alam, chairman of Little Star Spinning Mill in Jamgora, said the mill was struggling to maintain even 40 per cent of its production capacity despite using several sources of energy.

Gas is currently contributing nothing to production, he said. Electricity is being used to maintain roughly 25 per cent of production, while solar power and batteries are being used to cover part of the remaining requirement.

The shift to alternative energy has increased production costs by around 12 per cent. The additional expense amounts to Tk14-Tk15 for every pound of yarn produced.

Gas pressure at the mill rises to only around 1 to 1.5 PSI, which Alam said is not sufficient even to operate the factory’s generators.

The mill is rationing production across three shifts, with only two of its six sections operating. It has also been forced to sell yarn at a loss to meet workers’ wage obligations.

Alam warned that if the situation continues, the mill could be left with little choice but to reduce its workforce by at least 30 per cent.

Industrial police report fewer closures

The Industrial Police, however, said they had not received information about factories in the Ashulia area being permanently shut because of the gas shortage.

Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, superintendent of Industrial Police-1, said Munno Ceramics had remained closed for one or two days, while Preeti Apparels and another factory had also faced problems during the same period.

According to him, the affected factories generally resume normal operations when gas pressure improves. He said the Industrial Police had received no further information about factories remaining closed because of the gas shortage.

The contrasting accounts highlight the difficulties faced by gas-dependent industries in assessing the full impact of the supply disruption. While industrial police have reported relatively few closures, factory authorities describe prolonged interruptions, sharply reduced output and rising operating costs.

For manufacturers that depend on a stable gas supply, intermittent pressure can be particularly damaging. Production processes may require machinery to operate continuously at a certain temperature and pressure, meaning that repeated interruptions can disrupt entire batches rather than simply reducing output for the duration of the shortage.

For the factories affected in Ashulia, the immediate concerns are therefore not limited to lost production. They include mounting fuel costs, idle machinery, disrupted delivery schedules, wage obligations and, if the crisis continues, the possibility of workforce reductions.