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Due to the ongoing conflict in the West Asia, the fuel crisis in Bangladesh has taken on a severe form, especially at various fuel stations, where there are long queues and all sorts of chaotic conditions. The amount of fuel that was supposed to be available is not being supplied, and in this regard, petrol pump owners are also expressing serious concerns.
The owners have threatened to stop supplying fuel, urging security at petrol pumps and asked the government to take decisive action to control the situation. "Under the state-owned fuel supplier Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation, (BPC) the oil companies are supplying an amount of fuel each day that is clearly insufficient compared to the existing demand", Bangladesh Petrol Pump Owner's Association said in a statement posted on its Facebook page. The post highlighted the plight of the masses and the mounting pressure on pump workers. "With millions of motorcycle riders and users across the country, customers are being forced to stand in long queues for hours to purchase fuel. As a result, many are becoming exhausted, frustrated, and increasingly bitter. At the same time, nozzle operators and pump workers are struggling to cope with continuous duty, mounting pressure, and frequent arguments with irritated customers. They are not accustomed to such relentless work conditions", it added. Noting that the situation has reached a "critical point", the statement said, "Overall, the situation has reached a critical point. Due to security concerns and inadequate fuel supply, there is a real risk that petrol pumps across the country could be forced to shut down at any time", the statement said. The Petrol Pump Owners Association expressed serious concerns on the security and took a sharp dig at the government. "The issue of security within the government's fuel distribution system appears to have been completely overlooked by the authorities, including the district administration", the Petrol Pump Owners Association said in a separate post on Facebook. "At present, the government is playing virtually no effective role in ensuring safety in the retail marketing system of petrol pumps. Does the government believe that any loss incurred by petrol pumps is merely a private loss of the owners? If so, they are living in a fool's paradise. The current situation reflects extreme levels of mismanagement and irresponsibility", it said. "On the day before Eid, one petrol pump in a district town had an opening stock of 10,500 liters of petrol and 10,500 liters of octane. Another pump owned by the same operator had 8,000 liters combined. They expected this supply would be enough to sell gradually over the day before Eid, Eid day, and part of the following day, alongside fresh incoming supply", the statement said. "Instead, what happened could hardly be described as normal sales -- it resembled looting. There was no effective oversight. The administration remained indifferent, concerned only with collecting reports on how much stock was available and how much had been sold. Multiple agencies completed their paperwork from their offices and considered their duty fulfilled", the statement added. It further noted the threats received pumps and added, "Unregistered motorcycles, riders without licenses, and vehicles with various violations openly threatened to set pumps on fire. At around 3:00 a.m., mobs forced pumps to open and took fuel in large quantities. Without unofficial payments, even the police were reportedly absent". "In a recent incident in Thakurgaon, despite fuel being supplied, mobs armed with sticks vandalized and disrupted operations. No visible action from the administration was widely communicated afterward. If any action was taken, it was not publicly demonstrated", the statement said. "Such incidents are now threatening petrol pump owners nationwide. There is virtually no minimum security guarantee. Alongside the fuel shortage, the lack of state-provided security has made the crisis even more severe", the statement said. It also expressed concerns about fuel-tankers travelling large distances lest they be looted. "We are also deeply concerned about whether fuel tankers can safely travel 100-150 kilometers from depots without being looted on the way. Who will guarantee that security? Surely, the answer should be the state. We want to clearly inform the authorities: without security, there will be no option but to shut down operations", it said. (ANI)
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