Dhaka, March 24 – Bangladesh's Minister of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, has admitted that the country's normal fuel supply system has been disrupted due to increased consumer demand, local media reported on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat in Dhaka on Tuesday, Mahmud stated that the problem arose because fuel at petrol pumps was being depleted faster than usual, according to United News of Bangladesh.
He said, "Previously, tanker trucks would be filled in the morning, and even after selling fuel throughout the day, there would be some surplus. But now, due to long queues, the fuel runs out quickly," he added.
When asked why people were not getting fuel despite his earlier statement that there was no shortage, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud stated that delays in supplying fuel in the early hours were the cause.
The minister said, "It takes time to refill tankers from depots and transport fuel to the pumps. So there is a shortage in the early morning, but fuel becomes available later."
He stated that consumer demand had increased sharply, with the amount of fuel sold in a day now being sold out within just a few hours, UNB reported. He further added, "When demand suddenly spikes like this, naturally the fuel will run out."
Mahmud stated that the existing supply mechanism were strained due to the large number of people crowding petrol pumps.
When asked whether the government would implement fuel rationing in Bangladesh, he said, “I cannot say anything about that right now." He urged people not to buy fuel beyond their needs, stressing that purchasing in large quantities would further disrupt the supply.
Meanwhile, commuters faced problems as fuel shortages were reported at several filling stations in the Khulna city. Palash Das, a resident of Dashpara in the Boyra area, said that he could not get fuel for his motorcycle despite visiting four stations, according to Bangladesh's leading daily, The Daily Star.