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. (source)