Take action against oil theft from lorries, ships

It is widely known that oil theft occurs, to some extent, from various oil depots in Bangladesh. Multiple times, news about this issue has appeared in the media. After the news are published, the administration usually takes some action for a few days, police makes some arrests, and then the theft returns to their previous patterns. Now, a similar story has come from the Baghabari Depot.

On Wednesday, March 5, it was reported in the media that oil was being stolen every night in the dark hours from oil tankers on the Boral River in Sirajganj's Baghabari, amounting to thousands of liters of diesel and octane. After filling the oil into drums through a special pipeline method, it is transferred to small boats and then sold on the black market. A powerful ring is involved in this theft, including the ship's crew and some corrupt officials and employees of the oil depot. The annual loss to the government due to oil theft amounts to hundreds of crores of taka, which is making the criminal syndicate richer. Even though the looting is happening right under the nose of the local administration, it seems like no one is paying attention.

According to sources, the Baghabari port was established in 1983 on 47 acres of land on the banks of the Boral River in Shahjadpur, Sirajganj. The Padma, Meghna, and Jamuna Oil Companies have oil depots here. From this port, fuel oil is supplied to northern Bangladesh and other parts of the country. Additionally, 90% of essential goods like fertilizers, coal, cement, rice, wheat, and fuel are transported via the river route to 16 districts in northern Bangladesh. During the dry season every year, a navigation crisis occurs, and large ships cannot dock at the port. During this period, ships are anchored about 45 miles away in Bahadurabad, Manikganj, on the Jamuna River, and the cargo is brought to the port via smaller boats. When the oil is transported by these smaller boats, criminal workers assist in siphoning off oil from the tankers via pipelines. There is no police patrol there, and the Shahjadpur Police Station's officer-in-charge (OC) claims that no theft complaints have been filed with him, and he denies any connection between the police and the theft.

On the other hand, the Shahjadpur Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) mentioned that the matter is sensitive, and the local administration has no direct intervention in this case. The responsibility for overseeing the matter lies with the Petroleum Corporation, and if they conduct an operation, the Upazila administration will assist. However, no such operation has occurred in the past year.

This reveals discrepancies in the statements of the OC and the UNO. Furthermore, an on-the-ground investigation by the media found that this theft is an open secret, known to many locals. Such incidents cannot be hidden. So why is the administration silent? The UNO mentioned that the local administration cannot directly intervene in this matter, but why did he not inform the higher authorities about the issue? It is his responsibility to oversee government property. Also, while the OC may not have any complaints about theft, it is hard to believe that the police are unaware of the situation when even the local people know about the theft. This shows why the UNO is calling it a sensitive matter. We demand an immediate investigation into this incident and an urgent solution. We also want a record of how much government oil is stolen every year. The current government must address this issue quickly. Those involved in this crime must be brought to justice.