Govt lifting fuel rationing ahead of Eid, promises uninterrupted supply

The government has decided to withdraw the existing rationing on petrol, octane and diesel ahead of Eid, assuring an uninterrupted fuel supply to ease travel during the holiday period.

A notification in this regard will be issued on March 15, said officials at the Energy and Mineral Resources Division.

“For now, a decision has been made to this end. Until further instructions, fuel supply and sales will continue normally, as they did before the Iran war began,” said an official, citing that the decision has been taken in view of Eid.

The announcement came as State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit said fuel supply to public transport would remain uninterrupted to ensure smooth Eid journeys.

Speaking after inaugurating the experimental connection of well 5 of the Srikail gas field in Muradnagar of Cumilla to the national grid on Saturday, March 14, the state minister said the government is working to prevent any suffering for people travelling during Eid.

“Fuel supply will be kept uninterrupted to ensure a smooth Eid journey. There will be no problem with fuel supply from March 15. We have assured them of this,” he said.

He added that the government is aware of the difficulties people face during Eid travel.

“I want to assure the countrymen that their suffering during the Eid journey is our suffering. The elected government has the responsibility to alleviate their suffering. We will be able to inform the countrymen about the plan early tomorrow,” he said.

Fuel rationing was introduced on March 6 after fears of an energy crisis prompted by the Iran war led many people to buy larger quantities of fuel.

Under the restrictions, motorcycles were allowed to purchase only two litres of fuel per day, while sports utility vehicles and microbuses were limited to 20-25 litres.

Pickups and local buses were permitted 70-80 litres, while long-distance buses, trucks, covered vans and container trucks were allowed 200-220 litres per day.

Later, the limit for ride-sharing drivers was increased from two litres to five litres, and overall rationing was reduced from 25 per cent to 15 per cent.

Officials said the latest decision to lift rationing aims to ensure a normal fuel supply and avoid disruption to transportation during the Eid holiday rush.

Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Energy Saiful Islam, Petrobangla Chairman Md Erfanul Haque, Petrobangla Director (Operations) Rafiqul Islam and Bapex Managing Director Engineer Fazlul Haque were present at the programme, along with other officials.