Now Reading: Bangladesh rations fuel as Middle East war deepens the energy crunch
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Bangladesh rations fuel as Middle East war deepens the energy crunch
Bangladesh rations fuel as Middle East war deepens the energy crunch
Bangladesh moved to ration fuel after worsening Middle East tensions deepened an energy shortage in a country that imports 95 percent of its oil and gas. The state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation capped…
Bangladesh moved to ration fuel after worsening Middle East tensions deepened an energy shortage in a country that imports 95 percent of its oil and gas. The state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation capped purchases for most vehicle categories, limiting motorcyclists to two litres per tank, after warnings of supply disruption triggered a wave of panic buying. Long queues built up at filling stations in Dhaka, with an official at the distributor Meghna Petroleum estimating that customer numbers had almost doubled. In Jhenaidah district, a 25-year-old man, Nirob Hossain, was killed after an altercation with filling station staff, angry crowds responded by torching three buses and vandalising the station, police said. The state oil company said fresh deliveries were expected soon. Separately, five of the country's six fertiliser factories were shut until 18 March due to the current tensions, an official with the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation said.
Indian Opinion Analysis
A death and a violent response at one filling station show the immediate cost of the crunch. BPC said consumers tend to buy more than they usually purchase during times of crisis, and the queues bear that out: motorcyclist Md Al-Amin said he waited more than an hour for two litres against a tank that holds eight, while an official at the distributor Meghna Petroleum said his station refuelled 300 vehicles in three and a half hours after opening at 7.30 am. Five of the country's six fertiliser plants are closed until 18 March, and whether the deliveries BPC said were expected soon arrive before that date is the next checkable point.
Source: IndoDaily
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
