Bangladesh has so far received around 15,000 tonnes of diesel from India's Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) through a cross-border pipeline, officials said on Monday.
Pumping of around 7,000 tonnes of additional diesel has already begun from India's Siliguri marketing terminal to the Parbatipur depot.
Joint Secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division (EMRD), Monir Hossain Chowdhury, disclosed the information at a press briefing at the Secretariat.
Diesel supply from India had been suspended for several months but was reinitiated following bilateral talks after the start of the US-Israel war on Iran, he added.
Speaking to reporters, the EMRD joint secretary said the government has stepped up efforts to restore discipline in the country's fuel market, announcing a nationwide crackdown on illegal fuel storage and a reward scheme to encourage public reporting of offenders.
Between March 3 and March 29, authorities conducted 3,168 drives across all 64 districts, recovering 208,650 litres of illegally hoarded fuel, he added. The seized fuel included 139,965 litres of diesel, 22,539 litres of octane and 46,146 litres of petrol.
Some 1,053 cases have been filed so far, with 16 offenders sentenced to prison, he said, adding that Tk 7.5 million in fines has been collected from violators.
The government will introduce a fuel card system to sell fuel, particularly petrol and octane, to genuine customers to prevent misuse and illegal hoarding, the EMRD official said.
Earlier, the energy ministry announced a reward of up to Tk 100,000 for individuals providing credible information on illegal fuel hoarding or smuggling.
Informants will receive incentives through district commissioners, with their identities kept confidential.
Sources said unscrupulous groups have been exploiting rising global fuel prices and supply uncertainties to create artificial shortages, hoarding fuel and later selling it at inflated prices.
State-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and the EMRD are coordinating daily with state-owned marketing companies to monitor supply and storage.
District administrations have also been instructed to identify local shortages, while awareness campaigns are being launched to encourage fuel conservation and prevent misuse.
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