12-hour wait for fuel in Mohammadpur, no food or sleep, and then mugged

“I waited for more than 12 hours, giving up both food and sleep. I was even robbed. In the end, I managed to get fuel worth only Tk 3,000. Since mine is a Hiace microbus, I could at least get that amount. Sedans are getting only Tk 2,000 worth.”

These remarks were made in frustration by Belal Hossain, a resident of Mirpur-14 in the capital.

After visiting several petrol pumps in Mirpur without success, he eventually drove his Hiace microbus to Mohammadpur in search of fuel.

At around 10:30 pm on Sunday, he joined a long queue in front of Sonar Bangla Filling Station near Asad Gate.

The line had extended as far as the back gate of Dhaka Residential Model College, beside Geneva Camp. Belal positioned his vehicle there at around 10:30 pm. After about five hours, he gradually moved forward to Iqbal Road.

By then, it was past 3:00 am, and the pump ran out of fuel, forcing a halt in supply. With no alternative, Belal decided to wait there in his vehicle. He had not eaten anything since 10:00 pm.

The humid weather, hunger, thirst, dust from the road, and mosquitoes made the situation increasingly unbearable.

Belal recounted that he briefly fell asleep towards dawn due to exhaustion. The vehicle’s window was open, and at that moment, a group of teenage robbers snatched the wallet placed beside the driver’s seat and fled.

A driver from a nearby vehicle noticed the incident and chased after them, managing to recover the wallet. However, the cash inside had already been taken.

Most drivers in the queue were asleep at the time, which the robbers exploited. Belal said he initially did not understand what had happened due to the darkness.

He realised the situation only after the neighbouring driver returned his wallet. The robbers outnumbered them, so the driver who retrieved the wallet did not dare to raise an alarm or confront them.

Belal added, “The Tk 10,000 I had brought to buy fuel and my mobile phone were kept elsewhere, so the loss was not substantial. The robbers only took a small amount of cash.”

Nearly five hours later, shortly after 11:00 am, Belal spoke to this reporter and confirmed that fuel supply had resumed around 10:00 am, and he had finally received fuel.

Despite an increase of Tk 15 to 20 per litre in the prices of diesel, octane, petrol, and kerosene, public suffering in obtaining fuel has not subsided.

A visit to Sonar Bangla Filling Station and Talukdar Filling Station near Asad Gate around 10:00 am revealed a similar situation.

The Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) has instructed its subsidiary companies to increase the supply of octane by 20 per cent and petrol and diesel by 10 per cent.

Letters conveying this decision was sent at night to the relevant fuel distribution companies—Padma, Meghna, and Jamuna.

Petrol pumps were expected to receive the increased supply starting Monday. At 10:00 am today, Monday a new tanker arrived at Sonar Bangla Filling Station.

However, according to the station’s service engineer, Hriday Chandra Das, “The new tanker does not contain any additional fuel. We have not been informed when the depot will provide the increased supply.”

It was learned that the station had 22,500 litres of octane at the time, which would rise to 25,000 litres if supply increases. Petrol and diesel stocks stood at 4,500 litres, expected to rise to 5,000 litres.

Hriday stated that to meet customer demand, the octane supply would need to reach between 50,000 and 60,000 litres.

He further added, “We have not yet received any additional supply. We have made enquiries, but there is still no clarity on when the increased supply will begin. It may become clear later on afternoon whether the supply improves.”

A long queue of vehicles waiting for fuel at Sonar Bangla Filling Station stretched for nearly one and a half kilometres, extending from Iqbal Road in Mohammadpur, past Residential Model College, to Ghaznabi Road.

The queue included hundreds of private cars, Hiace microbuses, and pick-up vehicles.

Meanwhile, the line of motorcycles extended along Asad Avenue, surpassing the Town Hall area. Conversations with drivers revealed that most motorcyclists had been waiting in line since dawn.

Omar Faruk arrived from Hazaribagh at 6:00 am and joined the queue with his motorcycle.

He earns his livelihood by operating ride-sharing services through a mobile application. Omar Faruk said that on days when he has to queue for fuel, his income drops to one-third of his usual earnings.

At Sonar Bangla Filling Station, motorcycles receive octane worth Tk 1,200 with a fuel pass and Tk 500 without one. When this reporter spoke to Omar Faruk around 10:00 am, he had just received fuel.

He said, “By now, I could have earned Tk 600 to 700 through ride-sharing. Office hours are over. By the time I eat, bathe, and go out again, it will be afternoon. This is what happens when I come to get fuel. Sometimes the entire day is lost.”

At around 11:00 am, a visit to another petrol pump near Asad Gate—Talukdar Filling Station—revealed a small placard hanging in front of the cash counter stating, “Fuel will arrive after 6:00 pm.”

The station’s cashier, Nur Islam said, “People ask so many questions that I cannot work. That is why I was compelled to put up the placard.”

At that time, the queue of vehicles waiting to purchase fuel from Talukdar Filling Station extended from Ganabhaban intersection to Zia Udyan. Most of the vehicles in line were private cars, and no queue of motorcycles was observed.

Nur Islam stated that their pump had run out of fuel shortly after 7:00 am, forcing them to suspend supply. When asked whether any additional fuel supply was expected, he said they had no idea.