The lifting of fuel rationing had little immediate impact on Sunday, with vehicle owners in Dhaka and elsewhere saying they were still unable to buy fuel in the quantities they needed.
There were also complaints that fuel was not available at all in some places.
Visits to a number of filling stations in the capital showed long queues of vehicles, particularly motorcycles, waiting outside pumps.
At Meghna Model Service Center in Paribagh, motorcycle riders were still being given a maximum of five litres of fuel and private cars ten litres, following the earlier rationing rules even around midday.
Meanwhile, Khaleque Service Centre in the Darus Salam area stopped selling fuel altogether, saying it had not received fresh supplies from depots, leaving a long line of vehicles stranded outside the station.
Similar complaints were reported from other parts of the country, with many motorists complaining that filling stations in several districts were either continuing to ration fuel or had closed entirely, citing a shortage of supply.
A motorcycle rider at Meghna Service Centre expressed frustration over the continued rationing at the station, saying the government should monitor filling stations as some were still maintaining limits on fuel sales despite the official withdrawal of restrictions.
Another motorcycle rider left Trust Filling Station in Bijoy Sarani without buying fuel after waiting in line.
Shafat Rahman, a private sector employee, said queues appeared to have grown longer after the government announced it was lifting the limits on fuel sales.
“There is no point standing for hours when I might not even get fuel, considering the situation here,” he told TIMES of Bangladesh.
The government introduced fuel rationing on 6 March to prevent panic buying triggered by the war in the Middle East.
Long queues of vehicles quickly formed outside petrol pumps across the country following the move.
The restrictions were withdrawn on Saturday night.
On Sunday, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit announced the decision to remove the limit on fuel sales, saying it was aimed at easing public hardship during the Eid travel period and ensuring adequate diesel supply for irrigation.
Speaking at a press conference at the Secretariat, he said there would be no rationing in fuel oil sales from Sunday and consumers would be able to purchase fuel according to their needs.
Managers of several filling stations in Dhaka said they had not yet received official instructions from the government regarding the withdrawal of the fuel sales cap and would act only after receiving formal notification.
Amid the evolving situation, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit instructed district commissioners across the country to take necessary measures to maintain discipline in the supply and marketing of fuel oil after reviewing developments in the energy sector.
Earlier, a press release issued following a meeting at the Secretariat said the government had taken several steps to address the fuel supply situation, which has been affected by disruptions in global supply chains linked to the ongoing conflict between Iran and the US–Israel alliance.
The statement added that several vessels carrying imported fuel oil had already arrived at Chattogram Port.
Petrol pump owners said they expected fuel supplies to return to normal by Monday afternoon.
Bangladesh Petroleum Dealers, Distributors, Agents and Petrol Pump Owners Association President Nazmul Hoque told media outlets that fuel had already reached many filling stations and the situation should stabilise soon.
“I expect there will be no shortage of fuel oils by tomorrow evening,” he said.
