Motorists' woes persist despite 'fuel pass'

Motorists in Dhaka continue to endure long queues and hours of waiting for fuel despite the introduction of a fuel-pass system at selected filling stations, with many describing the situation as unprecedented and deeply frustrating.

Abdul Karim, a motorcyclist who travelled from Ashulia, said he had been waiting at the Ramna Filling Station since 2:15 pm on Wednesday.

Talking to the FE correspondent at 3:49 pm near the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, he narrated his hardship of standing for hours under scorching heat.

"We are suffering a lot under these extreme weather conditions," he said.

Karim recounted that it took him seven to eight hours to get fuel at a station in Ashulia. In Badda, he queued from 4:00 pm and finally got fuel at around 3:00 am.

Belaet Hossain, a private car driver, said he arrived at the same station at about 12:00 pm.

At around 3:40 pm he said he had never experienced such a situation in his 30 years of driving.

"I am going through an excruciating hardship regularly," he said.

Expressing his total frustration, Hossain added: "I had hoped the situation would improve in the country, but corruption is everywhere. The situation may worsen day by day."

Another driver, Yeasin, said he reached the same station at around 2:00 pm but failed to get fuel even after waiting for three hours.

"A few days ago, I had to wait for three hours only for the fuel to run out before I could get any," he said, adding that he did not know what would happen today.

A spot visit to some other filling stations in Paribagh, Asad Gate, Ramna, Tejgaon Industrial Area and Motijheel revealed that motorists were in queues stretching up to nearly one kilometre in some places.

The government has recently introduced a fuel pass system at seven designated filling stations in the capital, making it mandatory for customers to obtain a pass in advance to purchase fuel.

However, introduction of the fuel pass hardly made any headway to ease the sufferings, as motorists still report waiting for five to six hours.

At the Meghna Model Pump in Shahbagh on Wednesday afternoon, long lines of motorcycles and private cars spilled onto adjacent roads, resulting in traffic congestions.

Despite having fuel passes, many were learnt to have waited in queues from 7:00 am until around 12:30 pm

for fuel oil.

"I have registered for a motorcycle ride and received a fuel pass on my mobile phone. I stood in line at 7:00 am. After waiting for five hours, I finally got fuel," said a motorcyclist.

"After facing so much trouble, I have got only a small amount of fuel. This is not a solution-I did not get any real benefit," he added.

The seven filling stations where fuel passes have been made mandatory are: Sonar Bangla Service Station in Asad Gate, Trust Filling Station in Tejgaon, Gulshan Service Station in Mohakhali, Meghna Model Pump in Shahbagh, Nikunja Model Service Centre in Nikunja, Khalek Service Station in Mirpur Darus Salam, and Talukder Filling Station in Asad Gate.

Despite introducing the new system, motorists say the crisis still remains unresolved, with long queues, fuel shortages, and mounting public frustration continuing across the city.

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