India to send 15,000 tonnes of fuel oil every month: State minister

India has promised to supply 15,000 tonnes of fuel oil every month to address the ongoing fuel crisis in the country, said State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit.

While talking to reporters at the Secretariat on Tuesday (March 10), he said a total of 30,000 tonnes of diesel have already arrived in Bangladesh in two ships.

He said that although there is some instability in the price and supply of fuel in the international market, the government has no plans to increase the price of oil in the country for now.

'At the same time, the Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh said that Beijing is ready to provide all kinds of assistance to Dhaka to address the fuel crisis.'

The country's fuel market continues to be unstable due to the impact of the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Although the government claims to have adequate stocks, long lines of vehicles have been seen at various filling stations in the capital, which has caused concern among the common people.

According to government estimates, the demand for fuel in the country has increased significantly.

The daily demand for octane has increased from 1,100 tonnes to 2,000 tonnes. The demand for petrol has increased by about 1,000 tonnes. The demand for diesel has more than doubled and is currently standing at about 25,000 tons.

Due to this abnormal increase in demand, the government has temporarily fixed liters for fuel sales.

State Minister Anindya Islam Amit said that in addition to importing diesel from India, fuel is also being brought by sea to maintain normal supply. He expressed hope that it will be possible to pass the month of March without any problems with the current stock. However, there are plans to import fuel from alternative sources if the war in the Middle East lasts a long time. In this case, the possibility of bringing oil from the United States, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and some African countries is being considered.

The Minister of Power and Energy has already held a meeting with ambassadors of various countries to ensure energy security. After the meeting, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen said that China is ready to provide all necessary assistance to Bangladesh to deal with the energy crisis.

Meanwhile, it is reported that a large tanker carrying 27,000 metric tons of diesel from Singapore has anchored in the waters of Chittagong Port on Monday (March 9) afternoon.