Dhaka, March 28
As Dhaka steps up efforts to prevent illegal fuel stockpiling, Border Guard Bangladesh personnel have been deployed at various depots nationwide to ensure uninterrupted supply, local media reported on Saturday.
Confirming the development on Saturday, BGB Public Relations Officer Md Shariful Islam said that the ongoing crisis in West Asia, coupled with global fuel shortages and rising prices, has prompted attempts at unauthorised stockpiling.
He added that BGB has been deployed under instructions from the country's Ministry of Home Affairs to counter the situation, leading Bangladeshi daily Dhaka Tribune reported.
Reports suggest that the deployment is being executed under a well-planned framework supervised by BGB headquarters, with temporary base camps established at secure locations to facilitate operations in regions distant from unit headquarters.
Since Wednesday morning, BGB members have been deployed at 19 depots across nine districts, including one in Dhaka, two in Kurigram, three in Rangpur, three in Rajshahi, two in Sylhet, three in Moulvibazar, three in Comilla, one in Brahmanbaria, and one in Sunamganj.
In light of the global uncertainties, the Bangladeshi government has decided to appoint a designated officer for every petrol pump across the country to enhance oversight and coordination of fuel management activities, local media reported.
According to a press release, the decision was made in a virtual meeting held on Friday, chaired by Mohammad Saiful Islam, secretary of Bangladesh's Energy and Mineral Resources Division.
"A tag officer must be appointed for every petrol pump across the country. In Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitan areas, the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) will appoint tag officers," Bangladesh's newspaper The Daily Star quoted the government decision as saying.
"Outside the Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitan areas, in district and divisional towns, the respective deputy commissioners and, at the upazila level, the upazila nirbahi officers will appoint a government official as a tag officer for each petrol pump under their jurisdiction. Tag officers will work in accordance with the procedures set by the Energy and Mineral Resources Division/BPC and will submit daily reports," it added.
Earlier this week, Bangladesh's Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud admitted that the normal fuel supply system has been disrupted in the country due to a rise in consumer demand, local media reported.
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat in Dhaka on Tuesday, Mahmud said that the situation has emerged as the fuel at petrol pumps gets exhausted faster than usual, United News of Bangladesh reported.
"Earlier, tank lorries 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 said.
The crisis stems from the war in West Asia, which has escalated since late February after joint US-Israeli strikes targeted Iranian military facilities and leadership.
Iran responded with missile and drone attacks against Israel, US interests and several Gulf states hosting American military bases.
- IANS
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