Pabna, Mar 9 (V7N) — A severe fuel shortage has emerged in Pabna amid ongoing war-related tensions and instability, leading to long queues at filling stations as the government’s fuel rationing policy takes effect.
 
Under the rationing system introduced to conserve fuel, motorcyclists are allowed to purchase a maximum of two liters, while private car owners can buy up to 10 liters. As a result, many drivers are waiting for hours at fuel pumps but still failing to obtain the required amount of fuel.
 
Visits to several filling stations in the city — including Yakub Filling Station in the Meril Bypass area, Messrs Highway Filling Station in Ananta Bazar, SM Farid Filling Station in Radhanagar, Faruk Filling Station at the Central Bus Terminal, and Salsabil Filling Station in Chatmohar — revealed long lines of vehicles on Sunday. At several stations, fuel sales had already been suspended after supplies ran out.
 
Similar scenes were reported at pumps along Abdul Hamid Road, near the DC Court area, and at Gachpara intersection, where long lines of vehicles were seen waiting for fuel. Some drivers said they had to travel to nearby areas such as Ishwardi and Bera after pumps inside the city ran out of fuel.
 
Truck driver Rahim Uddin, waiting at the Pabna Terminal area, said the rationing system has made it difficult to obtain sufficient diesel for long-distance transport.
 
“Because of rationing, we are not getting enough diesel. We have to stop frequently at fuel stations during long journeys, but fuel is not available everywhere. This is causing delays in transporting goods,” he said.
 
Motorcycle riders have also expressed frustration. A student of Pabna University of Science and Technology said the two-liter limit is insufficient for daily use and alleged that fuel is sometimes unavailable at pumps but being sold at higher prices on the black market.
 
Motorcyclist Nabi Newaz, who failed to obtain fuel at Faruk Filling Station in the bus terminal area on Sunday afternoon, alleged that some pump owners may be creating an artificial shortage.
 
“We believe fuel is available at the pumps. They may be hoarding it to create an artificial crisis and then closing the station claiming there is no fuel,” he said, urging authorities to increase monitoring.
 
However, Ashraful Alam, manager of Faruk Filling Station, said the station still has diesel but has run out of petrol and octane.
 
“We have already placed orders with the fuel companies. Sales will resume as soon as new supplies arrive,” he said.
 
Meanwhile, authorities have taken action against illegal fuel stockpiling. On Saturday afternoon, a mobile court conducted a raid in Islampur under Pabna Sadar Upazila based on information from the National Security Intelligence (NSI). A local trader was fined Tk 90,000 for illegally storing a large quantity of fuel in plastic tanks at an unauthorized pump.
 
Officials from the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and the district administration said monitoring has been intensified to maintain normal fuel supply. They expressed hope that the situation would improve once a new fuel shipment arrives at the port on March 9.
 
Abul Hossain Rayen, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Petrol Pump Owners Association, said panic buying has worsened the situation.
 
“A rumor spread that the government has only 14 days of fuel reserves. As a result, many people are buying more fuel than necessary, creating temporary shortages at some stations,” he said, adding that sales to open market traders have been strictly prohibited.
 
District Commissioner Dr. Shahed Mostofa said authorities are closely monitoring the situation to prevent hoarding and ensure fair distribution.
 
“There is currently a nationwide fuel supply pressure due to the changing situation, but we are working to ensure that traders in Pabna receive proper supplies from the Baghabari depot and that no one can hoard fuel,” he said.
 
END/MSR/SMA/