Petrol pump owners in Sylhet on Tuesday warned they would stop withdrawing fuel from depots unless the government revises the recently introduced marketing policy.
The announcement was made at an emergency press conference by the Sylhet division branch of the Bangladesh Petroleum Dealers, Distributors, Agents and Petrol Pump Owners Association.
Owners said attacks on pump employees have increased in recent days, citing a recent incident where a worker was stabbed at a pump in Sylhet city. The injured employee is receiving treatment.
“Serving thousands of customers while observing fasting becomes difficult if safety is not ensured,” said the association leaders. In protest, pump workers staged a half-day work stoppage on Tuesday, though fuel sales resumed later at depots with existing stock.
The owners criticized the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) for introducing a new marketing policy, reducing depot supplies to 25 percent below the average fuel withdrawn by each pump from March to June last year. They claimed that the actual number of working days is lower, leaving pumps with insufficient fuel to meet demand.
Despite Sylhet producing a significant amount of petrol and octane from the local gas field condensate, the policy has disrupted distribution, sometimes causing conflicts between customers and pump staff.
The association stressed they are not involved in hoarding or price manipulation and called on the BPC to revise the policy and ensure fuel distribution through state-owned companies Padma, Meghna, and Jamuna based on local realities.
According to the association, daily demand in the Sylhet division is about 8–10 lakh liters of diesel, 2 lakh liters of petrol, and 1.5 lakh liters of octane, but current supply falls far short. The issue has been formally submitted to the district administration, and discussions with the commerce minister are planned.
The press conference was chaired by Barister Riyasad Azim Adnan, acting president of the Sylhet branch, with other association leaders in attendance.
The protest followed Monday evening’s stabbing incident at Uttara Petroleum Pump, Choukidekhi, Sylhet, where customer anger over fuel shortage led to a worker being seriously injured and hospitalized at Osmani Medical College Hospital.