State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has said that automation in fuel management has been a need of the hour.

That's why the government moved for automation in fuel system, he said while visiting the main establishment of the state-owned Padma Oil Company in Chattogram.

He advised the officials and employees of the Padma Oil Company to be smart as it has been a 154-year-old entity having long heritage.

He directed not to do any negligence in measuring petroleum fuels and measuring quality.

Nasrul Hamid also urged the officials to ensure international standards in the transportation of the petroleum fuels. This will bring the system under a specific policy guideline, he said. 

"You have to put emphasis on ensuring both physical and cyber security in fuel management", he told the officials.

The storage capacity of various types of fuel in Padma is about 290,000 tonnes. 

The state minister asked the officials to expeditiously install a modern radar type auto trunk gauging system to replace the existing manual system at the Padma Oil's main installations.

It will help maintain the storage system and supply operations smoothly. The automation will further improve the system, he added.

Chairman of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) ABM Azad, and other officials of Padma Oil Company Limited were present during the visit.

Later, the State Minister visited the main facilities of state-owned Meghna Petroleum Limited and Jamuna Oil Company Limited.