Many Petrol Pumps Closed: Customers Face Hardship
Staff Reporter, Dhaka (Saturday, March 7, 2026):
Several petrol pumps across the capital remained closed since morning, creating fresh difficulties for consumers. Many customers who came to refuel had to return without fuel, triggering fears of a possible shortage.
To reduce public anxiety, petrol pump owners have demanded that fuel depots remain open on Saturdays.
A visit to different petrol pumps in the capital showed that many stations were closed. At Ramna Petrol Pump in front of Matsya Bhaban, a crowd gathered as a motorcyclist argued with the owner. The rider claimed that fuel was available but not being sold, while the owner insisted that there was no fuel left to supply.
The Ramna petrol pump had to close before noon due to the shortage.
Nazmul Haque, President of the Petrol Pump Owners Association, said customers bought more fuel than usual on Friday. At the same time, depots remained closed on both Friday and Saturday, which led to supply shortages at many pumps.
He told Energy Bangla that the problem could be avoided if depots supplied fuel on Saturdays. “The government needs to come forward to address the crisis and public anxiety. It is true that there is enough fuel in stock, but panic has spread among people. To ease this panic and manage the situation, depots should remain open on Saturdays,” he said.
At the few petrol pumps that were still selling fuel, long queues were seen. Private cars and motorcycles waited for hours to collect the limited amount of fuel allowed under the new quota system.
At the government-run Meghna Petrol Pump in Shahbagh, fuel was available but the crowd was large. A female motorcyclist who came there after finding the Nilkhet pump closed complained that she had not been able to get fuel since the previous day.
Another consumer demanded that the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) set fuel limits based on the engine capacity (cc) of motorcycles.
The pump manager said there was sufficient fuel stock at the station.
While many private pumps had run out of fuel, the army-operated Trust Filling Station in Tejgaon still had supply. Since morning, a long queue stretched far beyond the pump, extending for nearly a kilometer.
A private car driver said he had stood in line since 8:00 a.m. and managed to get fuel only after waiting four hours.
The Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation has urged the public not to panic over fuel supply.