Fuel woes persist even on the weekend on Friday, with vehicles queuing up at the Asadgate filling station on the road adjacent to Zia Udyan near the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban area in the capital. — FE photo Panic buying and supply disruptions triggered on Friday long queues of private cars and motorbikes at different petrol pumps in the capital.
Amid long queues of vehicles, some filling stations were forced to implement fuel rationing while others experienced shortage even on the weekend (Friday).
Despite reports of improved stock, motorists were waiting for hours, leading to increased demand.
Motorists were experiencing multi-hour wait time, with overwhelming traffic congestions around filling stations, in the areas like Motijheel, Fakirapool, Bijoy Sarani, Paribagh, Tejgaon and Asad Gate.
"I had to wait two hours for refueling my bike," Md Sanwar, a biker, told the FE in front of Pubali Filling Station near Motijheel Metro Station.
"After waiting nearly two and a half hours, I managed to get my car refueled," Md Bashir Uddin, a private car driver, told the FE on Friday in front of a filling station at Paribagh in the city.
Motorists expressed their anger as they had to wait for long hours to get their vehicles refueled.
They said that if the present problem (long queues) is not resolved immediately their sufferings will be prolonged.
Despite sufficient stock, panic buying related to global market instability has caused high demand.
Some pumps are resorting to rationing; limiting fuel sales to a specific amount (e.g., up to Tk500-600 per vehicle).
Earlier on April 9, a pilot "Fuel Pass app" was launched at two Dhaka petrol pumps to manage the situation.
The QR code-based Fuel Pass app is being implemented by the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) at Trust Filling Station near Bijoy Sarani and Sonar Bangla Filling Station in Asad Gate.
Officials said the system would be expanded nationwide for all types of vehicles if the pilot initiative proves successful, as the US-Israel war on Iran continues to mount pressure on global energy supply chains.
The move comes amid long queues rising at the filling stations, even when supply remains adequate.
Authorities attribute the situation to inefficiencies in manual distribution and repeated fuel collection by some individuals, which contributes to artificial shortages.
Some petrol pumps have reported low fuel availability while others are experiencing higher-than-usual demand.
The situation has created significant hardship for motorists, particularly those in the transport sector, with some workers needing to wait for long hours to fill up, impacting their daily earnings.
Long queues were noted even with reported improvements in fuel availability.
Meanwhile, the Energy Division said delays and various problems are occurring in fuel distribution due to manual processes.
It said that a central dashboard will allow real-time monitoring of fuel supply and distribution nationwide.
This initiative is expected to increase transparency, reduce irregularities and wastage, and enable effective fuel management during times of crisis.
To address these challenges, the proposed digital system will fully automate fuel distribution and bring it under real-time monitoring. The app will be connected to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) central database.
Customers without smart phones will also be able to register through a website and download and print their QR codes, the Energy Division said.
Under this system, filling station operators will be able to supply fuel only after making a digital entry.
Customers will receive fuel by scanning their QR codes and will also be able to see their allocated quota.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com
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