DHAKA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh's left-leaning parties have called for a half-day strike in capital Dhaka on Feb. 28 to protest against the gas price hike.
The left-leaning parties including Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (Basad), Biplobi Workers Party, Ganatantrik Biplobi Party and Ganatantrik Bam Morcha made the announcement of the general strike in a joint statement on Friday.
Mujahidul Islam Selim, CPB president, said the parties will also stage demonstration and hold protest rallies on that day across the country.
Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) on Feb. 23 raised gas prices by about 22.7 percent.
The new prices were put into effect in two phases - from March 1 and June 1.
The prices for single burner from March 1 will be 750 taka (9.41 U.S. dollars) and 800 taka (10.04 U.S. dollars) for double burners, as against the current prices of 600 taka (7.53 U.S. dollars) and 650 taka (8.16 U.S. dollars), respectively.
Again from June 1 the prices for single burner will be 900 taka (11.30 U.S. dollars) and 950 taka (11.92 U.S. dollars) for double burners.
The BERC also increased the per unit price of CNG to 38 taka (0.48 U.S. dollars) from March 1 and again 40 taka (0.50 U.S. dollars) from June 1.
However, it says for commercial users per unit price of gas will be 14.20 taka (0.18 U.S. dollars) from March 1 and 17.40 taka (0.22 U.S. dollars) from June 1.
Protesters said the gas price hike would further instigate the inflation which went up from December's 5.03 percent to 5.15 percent in January due to soaring staple food.
The country's largest opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) also on Friday demanded revoking the latest hike in gas pricing.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed said this would bring misery for low income people and impact on the country's economy.
Sources said this was the second gas price escalation at the retail level since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League led government returned to power in the January 2014 polls for a second successive term.
The government officials, however, said latest price hikes at retail level were inevitable to reduce subsidy burden on the state-run gas distribution companies.
