No fuel price hike for April: Energy division
The price of diesel remains at Tk100 per litre, octane at Tk120 per litre, petrol at Tk116 per litre, and kerosene at Tk112 per litre, per a circular, effective from 1 April.
The government is set to keep fuel prices unchanged for April, despite a recent uptick in international oil markets, prioritising public relief over immediate price adjustments, according to the Energy and Mineral Resources Division (EMRD).
In recent days, authorities concerned had been considering a partial alignment of domestic fuel prices with global trends, which would have led to a price increase.
However, the move has now been shelved in view of mounting public hardship, officials said.
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Sources at the energy division confirmed that, even with a significant subsidy burden, the government is leaning towards maintaining existing prices for the month of April.
A circular has been issued this evening, to this end, stating that based on the "Fuel Pricing Guidelines", the government has determined and approved the consumer-level retail prices for fuel.
The price of diesel remains at Tk100 per litre, octane at Tk120 per litre, petrol at Tk116 per litre, and kerosene at Tk112 per litre.
The circular further states that these prices remain unchanged and will continue to be effective from 1 April.
The notification was signed by Enamul Huq, senior assistant secretary of the EMRD, and was addressed to the chairman of the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation.
Yesterday, the EMRD had said the government was reviewing proposals from state-owned distributors to adjust fuel prices, while simultaneously assessing the subsidy implications under multiple pricing scenarios.
"We have received the proposal from distributors regarding a fuel price adjustment. We are now examining it carefully," EMRD Joint Secretary Monir Hossain Chowdhury told a press conference at the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources.
The discussion on hiking fuel prices comes in the face of a global crisis stemming from the Middle East war. In order to cope with energy shortages, prices have increased in many neighbouring countries, and some countries have even shut down educational institutions due to energy shortages.
Earlier, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said keeping fuel prices unchanged in the country, despite their rise in international markets following the Middle East war, was a major success of the government.
