Fuel shortage: Navigation suspended in several dists

Riverine communications in several districts have come to a halt due to a fuel shortage, causing immense public suffering.

Hundreds of boat operators in vast shoal areas under Jamalpur’s Dewanganj and Islampur upazilas along the Jamuna River have been hit hard by the ongoing crisis.

At Guthail ghat in Islampur, rows of engine-run boats were seen anchored, while only a few remained operational and were overcrowded.

Robiul Mia, a local boatman, said diesel supply remains insufficient while prices have surged to Tk 155-190 per litre in retail shops, making it nearly impossible to continue operations.

“Earlier, more than a hundred boats used to operate daily. Now, not even around 20 are running,” he added.

Alim Mia from Chikajani village in Dewanganj upazila said he had been waiting at the ghat for around two hours but could not find a boat for his commute.

In Rangamati, speedboat operations on Kaptai Lake have remained suspended for the past two days due to the fuel shortage.

Besides, the number of passenger launches in the district has dropped significantly.

According to the Rangamati District Launch Owners’ Association, about 30-35 passenger launches usually operate on the district’s waterways daily.

“Only 10-15 launches are operating today [Wednesday],” said Biswajit Dey, a lineman at Rangamati Reserve Bazar Launch Ghat.

In Noakhali, speedboat operations between the district headquarters and Hatiya upazila have remained suspended for around 12 days amid the crisis. People are travelling by trawlers and government ferries on the 18-kilometre river route.

Usually, around 60 speedboats operate daily on this route, operators said.

In Barguna, the number of seagoing fishing trawlers has dropped sharply.

“Of the around 2,000 fishing trawlers in the district, about half are now sitting idle due to the ongoing fuel supply shortage and price hike,” said Golam Mostafa Chowdhury, president of the Barguna Fishing Trawler Owners’ Association.

Meanwhile, the government has continued its drive against fuel hoarders in several districts.

In Meherpur Sadar, police seized 5,375 litres of diesel stored illegally at a shop in South Shalika village yesterday and fined the shop owner Tk 10,000.

In Panchagarh’s Debiganj, a mobile court on Tuesday afternoon seized 27 litres of petrol from a motorcycle spare parts shop at Khandakar Market and sentenced the shop owner to seven days’ imprisonment for hoarding petrol and selling it above the government-fixed price.

In Gopalganj’s Tungipara, a mobile court fined a business establishment Tk 30,000 for hoarding diesel and selling it above the government-fixed price on Tuesday night.

[Our respective district correspondents contributed to the report.]