Parliament witnessed heated exchanges on Monday over the ongoing fuel situation, with an MP claiming he failed to get fuel for his own car despite visiting several petrol pumps, even as the energy minister asserted there was no shortage and that reserves exceeded demand.
During the discussion on an urgent notice under Rule 71, Jamaat-e-Islami MP Md. Anwarul Islam from Kurigram-1 told Parliament that he had gone from pump to pump but could not secure fuel for his vehicle.
“Although it is claimed that there is no fuel crisis in the country, the reality is different. I myself went from pump to pump today and could not get fuel for my car. It is easy to imagine the level of suffering of ordinary people,” he said.
His statement was supported by another Jamaat-e-Islami MP, GM Nazrul Islam from Satkhira-4, who said petrol and octane were also unavailable at pumps in his constituency. He alleged that while pumps had no fuel, it was being sold outside in bottles at higher prices, forcing motorcycle riders to buy from the open market.
Earlier, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku gave a statement under Rule 300, asserting that there was no fuel crisis and that the government had more preparations and reserves than potential demand.
“An artificial pressure is being created in the market mainly because people are panicking unnecessarily and purchasing and hoarding excess fuel,” Tuku said.
The minister said that under the directives of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the government had taken proper and timely preparations. He cited statistics showing that diesel reserves had increased from 2,06,000 metric tonnes on February 17 to 2,18,000 metric tonnes on March 30, despite sales of 4,82,000 metric tonnes during the 41-day period.
Tuku said octane sales from March 1 to 29 this year reached 28,939 metric tons, with a daily average of 1,258 metric tonnes, while at a well-known Tejgaon petrol pump, octane sales had increased by approximately 96 percent compared to last year.
“Long lines at filling stations for octane and petrol do not reflect the true picture of fuel management. This crisis has been artificially created due to the tendency to stockpile beyond necessity,” he said.
The minister said 3,168 operations had been conducted, resulting in 153 cases, fines of Tk75 lakh, and imprisonment for 16 individuals, with a large quantity of fuel recovered.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed told Parliament that the prime mminister had held multiple meetings with relevant ministries to ensure fuel supply from multiple sources beyond the Middle East.
Later, during the general discussion on the motion of thanks for the President’s address, other MPs also expressed anger over the fuel crisis and called for urgent intervention.
