No fuel shortage in country, 2 more shipments to arrive 9 March: Energy Minister

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku on Saturday assured that there is no shortage of fuel in the country and urged people not to panic or rush to stock oil.

“There is no chance of a fuel shortage but since a war is ongoing, we have to plan and manage carefully and maintain austerity,” he said.

The minister made the remarks while talking to reporters after an hour-long meeting with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in Tejgaon.

The minister said a decision was taken during the meeting that fuel prices will not be increased for the time being.

He said a rationing system has been introduced as a precautionary measure due to the ongoing war to ensure fuel reserves remain sufficient.

“Because of the war in Iran we introduced rationing. But people became worried and started storing oil. Actually, there is no shortage of fuel in the country,” Tuku said.

He also said two more ships carrying fuel are scheduled to arrive on 9 March.

“I would request everyone, especially the media, to inform people that there is no need to rush to stock oil. We have sufficient reserves,” the Minister said.

He said the government has taken all necessary steps to maintain supply and asked people to buy fuel only as needed.

The energy minister said fuel supply to petrol pumps is continuing regularly.

“We have enough fuel in stock. We are supplying fuel to petrol pumps and it will continue. There is no need to stand in line at petrol pumps throughout the night. People will get fuel whenever they go to the pumps,” he said.

Replying to a question about reports that some petrol pumps are running out of fuel, the minister said the government is supplying fuel in a fixed quantity.

“If a pump does not supply fuel, then obviously people will not get it. We are monitoring the matter and will take action,” he said.

The minister said mobile courts will start operations from Sunday at petrol pumps to prevent irregularities in fuel distribution.

When asked how long the rationing will continue, Tuku said it depends on the global situation. “It depends on the war…but we want to assure people that there is no reason to worry about fuel.”

State Minister Anindya Islam Amit also said the country has sufficient reserves of LPG and other petroleum products.

He said efforts are underway to arrange alternative sources of LPG and petroleum products to avoid any possible shortage in the coming days.

“We want to request the people through you (media) not to panic. There is nothing to worry about. But considering the global situation, we all should remain cautious and aware,” Amit said.

Power and Energy Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, State Minister Anindya Islam Amit and Energy Secretary Mohammad Saiful Islam met the Prime Minister at around 2:30pm and discussed ways to cut costs in the power and energy sector and ensure effective energy management.