Fuel sold under police watch at several Rajshahi stations

Fuel was sold under police supervision at several filling stations in Rajshahi on Saturday (March 7) as panic buying triggered long queues and temporary supply disruptions.

Scenes of heavy crowds were reported at many pumps across the city, with some stations temporarily closing after running out of fuel while others limited sales due to shortages.

At Habib Filling Station in front of Rajshahi Airport in Paba upazila, long lines of motorcycles and other vehicles were seen waiting for fuel. A notice at the pump said sales were capped due to the shortage: motorcycles up to Tk100, Mahindra/three-wheelers Tk200, private cars Tk1,000 and pickups Tk300 worth of fuel.

However, several drivers complained that no fuel was being sold despite stocks at the station, sparking a heated argument. “If they weren’t going to sell fuel, they could have just closed the pump instead of harassing us,” one driver shouted.

Police arrived at the scene after being alerted and spoke with the station manager. Fuel pumps were then reopened and sales resumed under police supervision.

Across Rajshahi division, shortages of petrol and octane have led to long queues of motorcyclists at many stations. Drivers say fuel is being sold in limited quantities, while some pumps have temporarily shut down after exhausting supplies.

Solaiman Kabir, manager of Afrin Filling Station, said public anxiety over the ongoing tensions involving Iran has driven demand sharply higher.

“Demand has increased two to three times compared with normal levels,” he said, adding that although there is no actual shortage of fuel in the country, the sudden surge in demand has created temporary supply pressure.

Kabir said fuel transport from Chattogram to Rajshahi takes time, which has slowed the replenishment of stocks. His station normally sells 4,000–5,000 liters of petrol and octane daily, but current sales have jumped to 11,000–12,000 liters.

He also noted that depot closures on Friday and Saturday had depleted stocks but expressed hope that supply would resume soon and the situation would return to normal.