Bangladesh Petrolium Corporation (BPC) is battling to avert diesel crisis during the current irrigation season as the special supply operation launched for farmers suffers setback due to blockade enforced by opposition alliance, concerned officials said.
As the blockade disrupts the transportation of fuel from the major depots, BPC wrote letters to concerned administrative chiefs including divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners (DC) of vulnerable regions seeking their help for providing necessary escort by law enforcers to ensure timely supply of diesel to farmers for irrigation, they said.
‘We already launcheda special supply operation to support the farmers with uninterrupted supply of diesel for irrigation required for boro crop cultivation, but it faced problems due to the blockade,’ said the chairman of BPC, Eunusur Rahman.
‘It’s now a challenge for us to ensure uninterrupted supply of diesel to the farmers for irrigation though we are trying to overcome it to avert any crisis,’ he added.
‘We opened control cells to coordinate and monitor the supply of diesel to the farmers engaged in boro cultivation across the country,’ he said, adding, ‘We are making all efforts to tackle the situation.’
BPC engaged its general manager (marketing) Yusuf Hossain Bhuiyan as chief coordinator and opened a central monitoring room at its head office based in the port city of Chittagong.
When contacted Yusuf Hossain informed that five regional control cells were opened in Dhaka,Chittagong, Khulna, Bogra and Barisal respectively.
The major oil depots based at Godnail and Fatullah in Narayanganj, Baghabari in Sirajganj and Doulatpur in Khulna were activated with special importance to ensure uninterrupted supply of diesel to farmers, he said.
‘We send the consignment of fuel to our major depots through river routes, but it has become a little bit difficult to ensure supply to local destinations due to blockade,’ he said.
He said that BPC has sought the support of local administration for providing escort to fuel laden lorry-tankers or train-tankers to reach the destination points.
The local administration must come forward to provide escort by law enforcers to ensure transportation of fuel to the northern parts of the country from the major depots, he said.
BPC officials pointed out that carrying of fuel by train, especially from Doulatpur depot, could be very risky without escort by law enforcers during blockade.
Despite all such impediments, BPC is trying to ensure the supply of diesel for irrigation. BPC has a sound stock of 3,20,000 MT of diesel, they assured.
State-owned BPC is the lone importer and distributor of petroleum products in the country.
-With New Age input
