Lighter traffic and long queues amid authorities' assurance of no fuel shortage
Responding to why pumps appear empty despite normal supply, Ministry spokesperson Monir Hossain Chowdhury said, “We are providing the same quantities as last year. Some pumps remain temporarily closed, and panic buying has not yet stopped, causing intermittent supply disruptions.”
Traffic on Dhaka's roads yesterday remained unusually lighter for a weekday, with vehicle movement curtailed by fuel shortages at filling stations, even as authorities insisted the country faces no supply shortfall.
Most private petrol pumps in Dhaka remained effectively closed due to supply falling far short of demand. Government-operated stations, however, stayed open, drawing long queues of vehicles waiting for hours. Chattogram experienced similar disruptions, with traffic sharply reduced.
Authorities maintain that they are supplying all types of fuel according to regular demand and assured that there would be no shortage in April.
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Responding to why pumps appear empty despite normal supply, Ministry spokesperson Monir Hossain Chowdhury said, "We are providing the same quantities as last year. Some pumps remain temporarily closed, and panic buying has not yet stopped, causing intermittent supply disruptions."
Previously, fuel stocks that took one to one-and-a-half days to sell out are now exhausted in two hours.
He added that depots continue to supply petrol and octane at pre-war levels, and any issues at pumps should be directed to station owners.
Sazzadul Karim Kabul, convener of the Bangladesh Petrol Pump Owners Association, declined to comment.
Government data shows that as of 1 April, stockpiles included 122,660 tonnes of diesel, 9,021 tonnes of octane, and 12,194 tonnes of petrol.
Daily demand stands at 12,000 tonnes of diesel, 1,200 tonnes of octane, and 1,400 tonnes of petrol, meaning current reserves can last around 10 days for diesel, eight days for octane, and nine days for petrol.
To curb hoarding, authorities conducted nationwide operations in March, seizing 3,72,000 tonnes of fuel – equivalent to Bangladesh's 25 days' total demand for diesel, octane, and petrol.
Authorities recovered 30,433 litres of illegally hoarded fuel across multiple drives nationwide over the past 24 hours till yesterday, with mobile courts imposing fines and jail terms.
Energy minister: No shortage, long queues due to panic buying
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Tuku told parliament yesterday that there is no shortage of fuel, but panic buying has led to long queues at filling stations.
Cumilla-4 lawmaker Hasnat Abdullah noted petrol pumps were closing, particularly in Sylhet, while long queues persisted elsewhere, and asked when the situation would be resolved.
The minister said demand had surged following recent Iran-related developments. "Previously, fuel stocks that took a day or more to sell out are now exhausted in two hours," he said, adding that this has triggered panic buying.
"The claim that petrol is not being supplied is incorrect. Fuel is being supplied to pumps every day," he said. He also assured that there is no electricity shortfall against demand, though occasional outages occur during peak summer hours.
To reduce load-shedding, the government has instructed limiting excessive lighting, switching off appliances after use, maintaining air conditioner temperatures above 25 degrees, and restricting high-energy equipment during peak hours.
Scenes at Dhaka pumps
Yesterday morning, two filling stations near Asad Gate were visited: a private station remained closed, while a government pump informed customers fuel would be available from 11am. Motorists finally received fuel around 1pm after long waits.
At Khalek Filling Station on Kallyanpur-Darussalam Road and a pump in Mirpur-2, no fuel was available, and stations remained closed. Another government-operated station stayed open, with long lines of vehicles waiting to refuel.
Sylhet pumps resume operations after strike
Owners of CNG, LPG, and petrol pumps across Sylhet called off their indefinite strike, ending uncertainty caused by the sudden halt in fuel supply.
Acting president of the Sylhet divisional committee of the Bangladesh Petroleum Dealers, Distributors, Agents and Petrol Pump Owners Association, Riasad Azim Haque Adnan, said the strike was suspended after discussions with authorities, but warned of fresh actions if demands are unmet.
The strike had begun around 11pm yesterday, with pump owners halting sales over alleged "extortion" through fines by the administration. The move caused widespread concern across Sylhet, prompting immediate interventions from officials and political leaders.
