Md. Ashikur Rahman Ashik, Staff Reporter || The Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) has sought a special payment facility for garment factories hit by severe gas and electricity shortages that disrupted production and caused financial losses.The association has requested the government to allow factories to pay their gas and electricity bills for July and August in 12 equal monthly instalments instead of making a one-time payment.BKMEA President Mohammad Hatem made the request in a letter recently sent to Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud.In the letter, BKMEA said severe gas and electricity shortages in July and August seriously disrupted production at most garment factories across the country.The situation was particularly difficult as the supply of natural gas to industries through open or cascade cylinders was suspended, preventing many factories from maintaining normal production.To keep operations running amid the gas shortage, factories had to rely on alternative fuels. Many businesses purchased diesel, LPG and other fuels at higher prices using cash, significantly increasing production costs and putting additional pressure on their cash flow.Factories facing mounting financial pressureBKMEA said factories have been hit by a double financial burden—lower production and higher costs for alternative fuel.As a result, many businesses may struggle to pay their July and August gas and electricity bills in full at once, the association said.BKMEA has therefore urged the government to allow factories to pay the utility bills for those two months in equal instalments over the following 12 months.The association said the facility would help keep export activities running, maintain foreign exchange earnings and protect employment in the garment sector.BKMEA also called on the relevant ministries and agencies to issue necessary instructions to facilitate the instalment arrangement.The association expects that the proposed payment facility would ease some of the financial pressure on factories affected by the energy crisis and help them restore normal production and export operations.