Panic buying forces many gas stations to suspend sales

Long queues of cars, motorcycles and pickups continued to form at filling stations across the capital for the third day on Sunday as fears of possible fuel shortages spread in the wake of the Middle East conflict.

Motorists crowded filling stations in different parts of Dhaka, rushing to refill tanks amid concerns that the global tensions could disrupt fuel supplies to Bangladesh.

The rush triggered severe congestion around several petrol pumps, while heated arguments between customers and pump operators were also reported.

Despite government assurances that the country has adequate fuel reserves, panic buying pushed demand sharply higher, particularly for octane, which is widely used by motorcycles and private cars.

While diesel stocks remain sufficient, anxiety over the availability of octane led to unusually long queues at many filling stations, with motorists waiting for hours to purchase fuel.

Motorcycles rely almost entirely on octane, while many private cars and jeeps also depend on the fuel along with LPG or LNG alternatives.

Motorists were seen lining up along roads leading to filling stations in several areas including Asad Gate, Ramna, Tejgaon, Motijheel and Jatrabari on Sunday.

Queues of vehicles stretched hundreds of metres in some places, spilling onto major roads and worsening traffic congestion during the Ramadan when vehicle movement in the capital typically increases before iftar.

Field visits by the FE found large numbers of motorcycles, private cars and pickups gathering at stations including Meghna Model Service Centre in Shahbagh and several pumps in Malibagh, Kalyanpur, Shyamoli, Asad Gate and Paribagh.

In some cases, petrol pumps temporarily suspended sales after exhausting their daily allocations due to the surge in demand.

"I purchased petrol for my car after waiting for about one and a half hours," said Md Amanur Rahman, a private car driver who was standing in a queue at the Malibagh petrol pump on Sunday afternoon.

Many other drivers reported similar experiences, saying they had to wait for extended periods as pumps struggled to handle the sudden spike in demand.

At some stations, motorcycles and other vehicles continued to arrive even after staff announced that fuel stocks had run out. Some motorists turned back, while others chose to remain in line hoping that supplies would resume later in the day.

Drivers also faced difficulties at the Hajipara CNG filling station in the capital after the outlet ran out of octane and diesel. A staff member repeatedly announced the shortage through a hand microphone while vehicles waited inside the premises.

Several private cars and CNG-run autorickshaws were seen waiting at the station, although natural gas supply remained normal.

An employee at a petrol pump in the Jatrabari area said both octane and diesel had temporarily run out, but arrangements were being made to bring additional supplies, with distribution expected to resume later in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, the government sought to calm public concerns, saying that Bangladesh has sufficient fuel reserves and there is no immediate supply crisis.

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood said on Sunday that the country maintains adequate fuel stocks and that supply remains stable.

He said two additional fuel shipments are scheduled to arrive on March 9.

The minister, however, said the government has introduced temporary fuel rationing at filling stations as a precautionary measure in view of the uncertain duration of the Middle East conflict.

According to sector insiders, fuel sales at filling stations have increased significantly in recent days due to panic buying, though they expect the situation to stabilise if supply continues uninterrupted.

Officials and energy experts also said the current situation reflects public anxiety rather than an actual shortage of fuel.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) imposed strict daily rationing effective March 6 to discourage excessive stockpiling.

Under the rationing system, motorcycles are allowed to purchase a maximum of two litres of petrol or octane, while private cars can buy up to 10 litres.

Pickups and local buses are allowed to purchase between 70 and 80 litres per day.

A senior BPC official said that both octane and petrol remain available and that the rationing measure is intended to manage demand during the uncertain global situation.

Separately, the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MPEMR) conducted mobile court inspections at several filling stations in the capital.

During the inspections, City Filling Station, RS Enterprise and Royal Filling Station in Tejgaon were found dry and unable to supply fuel.

At Mohakhali, Tashofa Filling Station also reported having no stock.

Sohag Filling Station was found to have stored 3,500 litres of octane before resuming supply but had failed to display the mandatory Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation press release.

However, Clean Fuel in Tejgaon and Eureka Filling Station in Mohakhali were found operating normally and complying with regulations, according to a senior ministry official.

The MPEMR has also requested the Ministry of Home Affairs to deploy law enforcement personnel at petrol pumps to prevent any untoward incidents amid the rush for fuel.

talhabinhabib@yahoo.com, azizjst@yahoo.com