The government has conducted a massive nationwide crackdown to maintain stable energy supplies amid the ongoing Middle East conflict. Between March 3 and April 1, authorities recovered a total of 372,388 litres of fuel oil across the country. The information was shared by Monir Hossain Chowdhury, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources and Joint Secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division.
During a press conference at the Secretariat on Thursday (April 2), he detailed that the recovered fuel includes 271,374 litres of diesel, 30,960 litres of octane, and 70,054 litres of petrol. A total of 4,824 drives were carried out, resulting in 2,009 cases being filed. Authorities collected 10,100,435 Bangladeshi Taka in fines and sentenced 24 individuals to various prison terms.
On the final day of the reporting period, April 1, officials conducted 381 operations, filing 169 cases and collecting 886,000 Taka in fines. One person was jailed during that day’s drive, which saw the recovery of 24,482 litres of diesel, 10 litres of octane, and 395 litres of petrol-totaling 25,537 litres.
The Joint Secretary reassured the public that there is no energy crisis in the country. He noted that the annual demand for diesel is approximately 350,000 metric tons, while the combined daily demand for petrol and octane is around 1,200 metric tons. “We are ensuring supply according to our regular monthly planning. For the month of April, we are in a completely safe position. Current stocks and upcoming shipments will arrive on schedule,” he stated.
Addressing international pressures, he mentioned that while some supply contracts faced complications due to global volatility, arrangements have been made to import fuel from alternative sources. Regarding reports of temporary closures at some petrol stations, he attributed this to “panic buying,” which causes short-term disruptions in the supply chain despite there being no actual shortage.
In response to further questions, he added that the government is closely monitoring the status of six incoming ships and overall reserves. Specifically, he noted that immediate measures would be taken upon receiving official correspondence regarding fuel supplies from Iran.