Concerns are rising over a proposed move of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) headquarters from Chattogram to Dhaka, with energy experts warning it could disrupt the country’s fuel supply chain, reduce operational efficiency, and expose the sector to significant financial and strategic risks.
Officials, consumer rights activists and civil society members argue the plan is driven by the personal preferences of a few senior officials rather than institutional necessity, potentially undermining the rationale for shifting BPC headquarters to Chattogram over three decades ago.
The issue resurfaced after Comilla-6 lawmaker Monirul Haque Chowdhury submitted a notice under Rule 71 in Parliament, calling for the relocation and construction of a separate office in Dhaka. Following the notice, the Energy and Mineral Resources Division sought urgent opinions from BPC.
The development triggered strong reactions within the corporation and Chattogram’s business community. On 18 May, BPC officials, employees and civil society representatives submitted a protest letter to the Home Minister opposing the move. They noted that BPC’s headquarters was shifted to Chattogram in 1990 under the government’s decentralisation policy, as petroleum import, refining, and distribution operations are concentrated in the port city.
The protest letter detailed that almost the entire fuel supply chain is connected to Chattogram. Imported crude and refined petroleum products are unloaded through Chattogram Port, processed at Eastern Refinery Limited, and distributed nationwide via storage and transmission facilities at Patenga. All eight BPC subsidiaries and affiliated company headquarters, along with national energy infrastructures including the Single Point Mooring project, oil installations in Patenga, and Matarbari deep-sea port project, are also located in the greater Chattogram region, valued at around Tk10,000 crore.
Sector insiders said moving the headquarters would disconnect policymakers from field operations, slowing decision-making, weakening monitoring, and increasing operational inefficiency.
Speaking on condition of anonymity a senior BPC official said Chattogram remains the operational nerve centre. “Everything from unloading imported fuel to emergency supply management is controlled from Chattogram. Quick decisions during the recent fuel crisis stabilised the situation. Managing emergencies from Dhaka would be far more difficult,” he said.
Critics warned the relocation could heighten energy security risks during crises. CAB Senior Vice-President SM Nazer Hossain called the proposal “suicidal” and “completely irrational,” noting that top officials in Dhaka appear unwilling to remain in Chattogram due to personal and family considerations.
Meanwhile, BPC Secretary Shahina Sultana said opinions are being collected from all divisions before forwarding recommendations to the ministry. She confirmed that differing views exist within the corporation and no final decision has been made. Repeated attempts to contact BPC Chairman Md Rezanur Rahman were unsuccessful.
