Although the supply of fuel oil has increased in Sylhet, there is a shortage of gas. A few pumps are also closed due to the crisis. As a result, cars have to stand for hours to get gas at the pumps. Some pumps have miles of queues on both sides. CNG-powered autorickshaws in particular have long queues. Complaints of the drivers - it takes half a day for them to come to the pump to fill the gas in the car. Sometimes almost a whole day. As a result, they have to suffer and suffer losses.
Last Wednesday at around 2 p.m. at M/s Dibaratri CNG filling station at Chandipul in South Surma, it was seen that on the one hand, there was a long line of cars from Chandipul towards Humayun Rashid Chatwar on the Sylhet-Dhaka bypass road and another one kilometer on the Sylhet-Sultanpur road. Numerous autorickshaws along with microbuses, and private cars are standing in line. Passengers can be seen suffering from sitting in many cars. Among them are old people and children.
An auto-rickshaw driver named Suman standing in the line said that almost every day he has to stand in a long line to get gas. This is the picture of almost every pump in the city. Reason - gas shortage. In many pumps, the allocation is over within 15 days of the month. So now gas is not available in them. And those who are giving gas have such a long line. Many times, when the gas cut-off time comes, even after standing in line for a long time, gas is not available. You have to fight to get gas. Also, many times the gas pressure in the pump is low. Filling unpressurized gas by standing for half a day does not provide enough gas. It has to suffer losses.
Another driver named Monir said - At the end of the day, the owner has to close his eyes and pay 5 to 6 hundred takas. But half of the day is gone by filling up the gas. No more than one trip can be given. In this situation, if you give all the money to the owner, what is left? How will our family run? Some days the car has to be stopped without getting gas.
A passenger named Mahin sitting in the auto-rickshaw said I will go to Dhaka by train for urgent work. Train departure time is 3:30 pm. But I am sitting here in the car even at 2 am. The driver is standing in line to get gas. God knows when to get gas and when to deliver me to the station. If necessary I will have to take another car.
Acting General Secretary of Sylhet Division of Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association Riasat Azim Haque (Adnan) said that gas shortage in Sylhet pumps has been going on for a long time. We have been asking Jalalabad Gas to increase the limit of pumps. But they are not increasing the limit. The traffic in Sylhet has increased, along with the demand. But still, the limit has not increased in the pumps. During this time of the year, Sylhet has a lot of tourists. Cars also move more. So the demand for gas is also high. In this situation, many pumps run out of gas within 15 days of the month. This results in long lines at pumps where gas is supplied.
He strongly demanded the concerned parties increase the supply of gas in Sylhet.
