Petrol pumps in the country may be closed anytime due to insecurity, warned Bangladesh Petrol Pumps Owners' Association on Sunday (March 22).
Citing fuel oil supply shortage and insecurity at night at the petrol pumps across the country, the association stated it in a press release.
The press release stated that the situation at the petrol pumps across the country is very miserable because it becomes impossible to meet the requirements of customers with the fuel oils received from the companies concerned. As a result, motorcycle users have been waiting in long queues hours after hours after coming to the petrol pumps to buy fuel oils.
At the same time, employees and workers at the petrol pumps are facing both acute physical and mental pressures due to working at the petrol pumps for a long time without any break.
So, the country's petrol pumps in the country may be forced to shut down at any time due to the lack of receiving sufficient supplies of fuel oils.
The association claimed that there were 10,500 litres of petrol and same quantity of octane at a petrol pump in a district town before Eid, while there was about 8,000 litres of oil in another petrol pump of them. Though they were supposed to sell their stock of fuel oils for several days, they could not do it as their stock was exhausted within a very short period of time due to sudden pressure and indiscipline.
Besides, there are allegations that incidents like taking fuel oils forcibly creating organized mob at petrol pumps at night are taking place randomly. Drawing attention to an incident at a petrol pump in Thakurgaon, the association regretted in its press release that some people went there with sticks and forced the petrol pump employees to give them all the fuel oils. Such incidents are going to take place at almost all the petrol pumps. There is no minimum security at the petrol pumps.
If the security is not ensured in such a dire situation, the petrol pump owners will have no alternative but to close down businesses, the association further said.
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