A deepening fuel shortage leaves motorists stranded in kilometer-long queues before petrol pumps that most of the times keep 'no petrol' signs hanging.
The crunch, triggered by volatile global supply chains amidst the escalating Middle East conflict, reached a boiling point Thursday as thousands of people spent their public holiday in a desperate -- and often futile -- search for fuels.
From the early hours of Thursday morning, major refueling hubs across Dhaka, including Bijoy Sarani, Asadgate and Paribagh, had been besieged by private car owners and motorcyclists.
What was meant to be a day of rest for many turned into a day of "fuel duty," with some drivers waiting over five hours only to be met with shuttered pumps or "out of stock" signs.
At Purbachal Traders in Paribagh, fuel sales were halted on Thursday.
Md Zaman, an employee at Purbachal Traders, said, "Yesterday we received supply from Narayanganj depot, which ran out quickly. Today, there is no possibility of receiving more. We are getting only 9,000 litres every two days, but demand is double. Many people come here to fill their tanks, but they leave without fuel."
Mostafa, an employee at Meghna Model Service Station, said they started selling fuel around 7:30am. "Before the sale, queues of private cars and motorcycles stretched over a kilometre. Motorcycles are limited to 5.0 litres and private cars to 10 litres," he added.
Motorcyclist Mahbub, a banker, shared his frustration.
"I have been waiting since 7:00 am at Meghna Model Service in Paribagh. On office days, it's difficult for me to visit the filling station and wait for such long hours. Today, on this public holiday, the queue was even longer, and I had to wait over an hour just to get fuel," the private banker added.
At Trust Filling Station, long lines of vehicles formed outside, but fuel distribution was temporarily halted with authorities informing customers that sales would resume after 12:00 noon.
Motorcyclist Sagar, waiting in line since 7:00 am, said, "They had provided fuel until 8:00 am, but my turn didn't come. They will start again at 12:00 noon."
At Talukdar Filling Station, pumps were closed as of 9:30 am, while fuel distribution continued at the nearby Sonar Bangla station, which also saw long queues.
Motorcycle-rider Nayim wouldn't return sans fuel. "I came early on a holiday to get fuel. On office days, I don't have time to stand in line. Today, I'll wait as long as it takes to get fuel."
Private-car driver Akram added, "On other days, the owner's office work and children's schedules prevent us from refueling. Today, on a holiday, the owner sent it to me. Since the country faced a fuel shortage, even on our holidays we have to do 'fuel duty'. We no longer have holidays."
Speaking to the FE, Md Nazmul Haque, the owner of Ramna Petrol Pump and president of the Bangladesh Petrol Pump Owners Association, said, "We are not receiving oil supplies according to the required and expected demand."
He called for a logical rationing system for all vehicles, particularly for motorcyclists providing app-based ride services, so they can operate throughout the day.
"There is still a persistent panic-buying situation," he added.
Haque also expressed concern over rising incidents of violence at petrol pumps.
"Some customers are resorting to aggressive behaviour and even physically assaulting staff. In my pump, such an incident occurred on Wednesday," he said.
He urges the government to deploy law-enforcement agencies at petrol pumps to prevent such incidents.
As the global fuel crisis reverberates through Dhaka, motorists, pump owners, and employees are all struggling to cope with the ongoing shortage, highlighting the urgent need for better supply management and law enforcement to prevent chaos at petrol stations.
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