Desperate Auto-Rickshaw Drivers Block Chittagong Highway Over Gas Crisis

An acute CNG shortage in Chittagong reached boiling point early on Friday, 14 August, as hundreds of CNG-powered auto-rickshaw drivers took to the streets in protest, throwing the port city’s transport network into utter disarray.

Exasperated by multi-day queues outside refuelling stations across the city, disgruntled cabbies set up blockades around the bustling Sholashahar area at dawn. The demonstration effectively severed communication along the vital artery linking Muradpur to the 2-No. Gate intersection, leaving morning commuters stranded and causing severe traffic snarls that quickly radiated through nearby neighbourhoods.

For tens of thousands of commercial auto-rickshaw operators in Chittagong, compressed natural gas is not merely fuel—it is the lifeblood of their daily bread. The current disruption has pushed many lower-income earners to the financial brink. Drivers reported camping outside filling stations for over 24 hours without receiving a single litre of fuel, whilst pump operators remained unable to offer any timeline for when normal supply might resume.

“I have been unable to operate my vehicle for two days straight owing to the gas shortage,” lamented Tarek Miah, an auto-rickshaw driver caught in the blockade. “My family’s daily expenses haven’t stopped, yet I have earned absolutely nothing. Standing in line for hours on end yields nothing.”

Another driver, Badsha Miah, echoed similar frustration after spending a sleepless night parked in a queue: “We are sitting idle day after day. How are we expected to feed our families under these conditions? Nobody can give us a clear answer about when supply will return.”

Refuelling station managers across Chittagong acknowledged the severity of the situation, citing a total collapse in incoming pipeline pressure from national grid distribution. Operators at the Fossil Filling Station in Sholashahar, where hundreds of green auto-rickshaws stretched into sprawling lines, stated their hands were tied until central transmission resumes.

The domino effect of the strike has hit ordinary citizens hard. With thousands of CNG auto-rickshaws forced off the roads, public transport in the city has thinned dramatically. Fares for remaining rickshaws and buses have surged, leaving workers, students, and emergency travellers stranded at major intersections for hours.

Local police forces arrived at Sholashahar shortly after the protest began to negotiate with the crowd. Mohammad Jahedul Islam, Officer-in-Charge of Panchlaish Police Station, confirmed that police contingents were actively working to clear the carriageway and restore traffic flow. However, the protesting drivers remain steadfast, refusing to dismantle their barricades until authorities provide concrete assurances regarding the restoration of gas supplies.