The Energy Division has decided to launch a crackdown on adulterated fuels oils in the wake of complaints of bad performances and growing maintenance cost of automobiles, its officials said.
It has directed the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation, the country鈥檚 lone state-owned fuel oils supplier, to take necessary steps to conduct drives at filling stations.
The energy division also directed the BPC to examine problems of dispenser machines at the filing stations against complaints from consumers of getting less fuel oil.
Md Afsar Ali, head of mechanical engineering department at the Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology, welcomed the decision of drives against adulterated and contaminated fuel oils, which are largely blamed for poor performance and damage of automobile engines.
Simon Sarker, an executive magistrate of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, told 抖阴精品 on Saturday that the BPC had been preparing a schedule for conducting countrywide drives.
He along with other magistrates is now taking part in drive against illegal gas connections and they will also join BPC drives, said Simon.
Dishonest businesses have been mixing low-density mixture of hydrocarbon liquids with petrol and octane.
Besides, petrol has been mixed with octane for maximisation.聽
Prices of fuel oils were hiked by about 50 per cent in August 2022 to get the International Monetary Fund鈥檚 $4.7-billion loan programme.
Still, the prices have remained at elevated levels as one litre of diesel is selling at Tk 102, kerosene at Tk 114, petrol at Tk 118 and octane at Tk 122.
The BPC sold 6.761 million tonnes of fuel oils in the 2023-24 financial year, with octane and petrol accounting for respectively 5.7 and 6.3 per cent of the amount.
Diesel accounted for 62.9 per cent, which is the highest in the overall sales by the BPC with its three marketing companies 鈥� Padma Oil Company Limited, Meghna Petroleum Limited and Jamuna Oil Company Limited.
Depositing revenue of about Tk 14,948.33 crore from VAT, tax, duties, dividend and surplus fund in FY24 to the government coffer, the BPC is little active to quality check.
There is no major drive by the BPC against the adulterated fuel oils, said the division officials.
Md Afsar Ali suggested that the government should build an independent inspection team to collect fuel oils on random basis to check quality.
Fuel oils are sensitive products and are linked to efficiency of machine and cost of production, he said.
There are 2,308 filling stations, 2,719 agents or distributors, 677 packed point dealers, 3,101 LPG dealers and 145 marine dealers available to deliver petroleum oil to customers across the remote areas of the country, according to the BPC鈥檚 annual report FY24.
Godnail and Fatulla depot in Narayanganj are the main suppliers of fuel oils to capital Dhaka, Gazipur, Manikganj, Munshiganj, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Jamalpur, Sherpur, Mymensingh, Tangail, Netrokona and partly Kishoreganj.
Energy Division officials said that Godnail had been identified as a key point where adulterated fuel oils are sold by a section of corrupt businesses at illegally built shops.
They said that a drive was conducted in the first week of July by the BPC in association with Narayanganj deputy commissioner office.