Fuel traders end strike after 16 hours in Sylhet

The indefinite strike called by fuel traders across Sylhet division has been called off after nearly 16 hours of suffering.

The divisional president of the Bangladesh Petroleum Dealers, Distributors, Agents and Petrol Pump Owners Association, Zubair Ahmed Chowdhury, announced the withdrawal of the strike after 2pm on Thursday (April 2). Earlier, a meeting was held with the leaders of the fuel traders' organization in the presence of local BNP leaders at the Sylhet Deputy Commissioner's office.

The top organization of fuel traders in the region suddenly called a strike in Sylhet division after 10pm last Wednesday to protest the fine imposed on a petrol pump owner in the city during a mobile court operation.

In the prevailing situation, the administration contacted the fuel traders after midnight on Wednesday and tried to reach a compromise. The district president of the Petrol Pump Owners' Association, Riyasad Adnan, informed the administration to suspend the strike, but the fuel traders did not accept it around 4am on Thursday (April 2).

As a result, drivers and passengers across the city and the entire division have been facing extreme hardship since Thursday morning. Many expressed their anger after waiting for a long time and did not get fuel.

In this situation, both sides presented their positions in a meeting chaired by Deputy Commissioner Md. Sarwar Alam and discussed ways to resolve the ongoing crisis. Sylhet City Corporation (CCIC) Administrator Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury, Superintendent of Police Dr. Jaber Sadek, Metropolitan BNP President Rezaul Hasan Kayes Lodi and General Secretary Emdad Hossain Chowdhury, among others, participated in the meeting.

It is worth noting that on Wednesday afternoon, a mobile court conducted a raid on a petrol pump named A & A Associates and fined the owner Md. Kamran Tk 10,000 on charges of storing excess petrol. The Sylhet district administration conducted the operation in collaboration with RAB-9.

Energy traders said that in addition to the raids and fines on petrol pumps, pump owners are angry with the administration's various obligations on fuel oil sales. They alleged that these government decisions, including the appointment of tag officers and deployment of BGB at depots, are creating obstacles to the energy business.