Many driver and employees earn a lot of money every month selling fuel from government vehicles at several points in Dhaka and its suburbs in collusion with local gangs, official sources said.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in a recent letter to secretaries and heads of government organisations and agencies expressed dissatisfaction at slow progress in CNG conversion.

The letter referred to a previous order that gave the December 31 deadline for the conversion.

Fourteen of 450 government vehicles have so far been converted into CNG-powered ones, while most of several thousand others under autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies and development projects still remain unconverted.

The principal secretary to the prime minister in the letter asked all ministries, departments, directorates, government and semi-government organisations and autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies to go for quick conversion.

The letter mentioned that the government issued orders to the Rupantorito Prakritik Gas Company Limited under Petrobangla to convert government vehicles into CNG-powered ones in credit in case of fund crisis.

The money will be paid from next year's budget, it added.

The average cost of conversion of a vehicle at Joarshahara plant is about Tk 35,000. The plant converts government vehicles alone.

The letter also mentioned that 27 CNG stations were set up in Dhaka and some more would be established by December. The government is also planning to reserve some stations for filling government vehicles.

The government has withdrawn all duties and taxes on import of equipment for establishment of CNG stations.

CNG-powered vehicles are environment-friendly and more cost effective than the petrol-run ones. It also saves foreign currency as Bangladesh that imports petrol boasts a huge gas reserve.

Sources said for a short-distance run that costs Tk 6 by CNG-run vehicle, costs Tk 35 when petrol-run.