Energy minister warns LPG traders over strike

Energy Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud has warned that legal action will be taken against liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) traders unless they call off their ongoing strike, urging them to resolve their grievances through dialogue.

Speaking after a meeting at the Secretariat on Wednesday, the minister said the global energy market remained volatile amid the ongoing war, with import options constrained and prices unstable. Nevertheless, he insisted that the government was working to keep energy prices affordable for consumers despite the challenging supply situation.

Moreover, Mr Mahmud cautioned that the government would enforce a 1956 law if traders tried to disrupt supplies of essential commodities through strikes. Attempts to push up prices by repeatedly calling strikes, he stressed, would not be tolerated, as the government remained committed to sparing the public unnecessary hardship.

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The meeting also considered how to identify and address the traders’ concerns, and a further meeting will be held later this month. Accordingly, the minister called on traders to refrain from industrial action and to pursue a negotiated settlement instead.