Effect of West Asia tension, fuel crisis deepens in Bangladesh, warning of closure of petrol pumps

The impact of the ongoing conflict in West Asia is now manifesting itself in the form of a serious fuel crisis in Bangladesh. Long queues are forming at petrol pumps across the country and the situation is continuously worsening.

According to Bangladesh Petrol Pump Owners Association, the fuel supplied by the government company Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) is very less compared to the current demand. For this reason, huge crowd and chaos is being seen at the pumps.

Lakhs of motorcycle and vehicle users in the country are forced to stand in queues for hours to get fuel. Due to this, resentment is increasing among the people, while the work pressure on the pump employees has also increased manifold.

Pump owners have said that the situation has now become ‘critical’. Petrol pumps across the country can be closed at any time due to fuel shortage and lack of safety.

The association made serious allegations against the government and said that safety in the fuel distribution system has been completely ignored. The administration is limited to taking only paper reports, while the ground situation is worsening.

According to the report, at many places the mob forcibly opened petrol pumps and took large quantities of fuel. In some cases, threats of vandalism and setting fire to the pumps were also made. An incident of vandalism of a pump by a mob has come to light in Thakurgaon.

Pump owners have also expressed concern that fuel tankers coming from 100-150 kilometers away are at risk of being robbed en route. He said that if safety is not ensured, it will be a compulsion to shut down operations.

This entire crisis has raised serious questions on the energy supply and administrative system in Bangladesh.