A severe crisis of fuel oil looms large in all filling stations in the south-western region as current political unrests have compelled dealers to stop taking delivery of petroleum products from depots of three state-owned Padma Meghna and Jamuna oil companies in Khulna city for security risk. Petroleum products are supplied from depots of these oil companies to Bagerhat, Satkhira, Jessore, Kushtia, Meherpur, Chuadanga, Rajbari, Faridpur, Magura and Gopalganj.
The government is incurring huge loss as a result of this decision of dealers who are feeling insecure in transporting fuel amid continuous blockade and violence.
Tank lorry driver of Kushtia Mofidul Islam said he would not carry fuel oil risking attack by blockaders. ‘My tank lorry will move when situation is favourable,’ he said.
The manager of the depot of Padma oil Company, Abdullah Rashid, said not a single litre of petroleum products had been sold during last one and a half months.
This depot used to sell at least six lakh litres of petrol, octane and diesel every day before political turmoil engulfed this part of the country, he said.
The manager of Meghna Oil Company, Mohiuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, said his business was absolutely dull because of opposition blockade.
Only 14,000 litres of fuel oil could be transported amid high risk to some mills in the Khalishpur industrial belt through river routes, he said.
The assistant general manager of Padma Oil Company Ltd, Ibrahim Hamidur Rahman, said the dealers were not buying fuel oil from his depot because of insecurity on highways during blockade.
‘We used to sell 80,000 litres of petrol, 20,000 litres of octane, 6000 litres of diesel and 30,000 litres of kerosene oil daily on an average before political turmoil. But the sale has now come down to nothing causing huge loss,’ he said.
-With New Age input
