Fuel queues and hoarding fears deepen Bangladesh’s fuel crunch

Panic buying and hoarding are deepening Bangladesh’s fuel queues, even as officials insist the national supply is stable.

Recent reporting from The Business Standard and other outlets says long lines at filling stations, intermittent station closures and empty tanks are still being seen in several parts of the country, including Dhaka and Satkhira. In response, the government has intensified enforcement against illegal stockpiling and false scarcity claims.

The Energy Division said on April 2 that there would be no fuel shortage in April and that reserves were sufficient. The Energy and Mineral Resources Division has separately said there is enough petroleum in reserve and that supplies are uninterrupted.

But the public messaging has not stopped the queues. Reports say panic buying is pushing more motorists to fill up early, while hoarding and uneven distribution are leaving some stations under pressure. Officials have launched mobile court drives, tagged officers to stations and opened a control and complaint cell.

A fresh development on April 7 was reporting that the government is moving toward an app-based fuel distribution system to curb excess fuel collection. BSS also reported large volumes of illegally stored fuel were seized in 24-hour anti-hoarding drives.

The gap between official assurances and what is happening at the pump suggests the problem is less about a nationwide lack of fuel than about distribution, enforcement and consumer behaviour.