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and act responsibly.

“If people buy more than they need or store fuel, supply will inevitably be disrupted. As a flammable substance, this also poses serious fire risks,” he warned.

The minister said a tendency among consumers to stockpile fuel has become a bigger concern than any actual supply shortage.

“Let me state clearly—there is no fuel shortage in Bangladesh at this moment. In fact, we have increased supply compared to last year,” Tuku said.

Replying to a query, he said despite the surge in demand, diesel stocks have risen to 2,18,000 tonnes from 2,06,000 tonnes as of March 30, he added.

However, in a separate briefing at the secretariat, diesel stock was cited at 1.33 lakh tonnes.

The minister told parliament that fuel supply in March was maintained at 10–25 percent higher than that of the same period last year.

He said changes in consumer purchasing behaviour, such as panic buying, created artificial pressure in the market. He cited examples of motorcycles collecting 15–20 litres daily instead of the usual five litres.

According to the minister, daily diesel demand last year was around 12,000 tonnes, while octane and petrol demand stood at 1,200 tonnes and 1,400 tonnes, respectively.

Between March 1 and 23 this year, octane sales reached 28,239 tonnes, averaging about 1,258 tonnes per day, indicating a steady supply in the market. Long queues at filling stations for octane and petrol do not reflect the overall supply situation, he added.

To ensure a steady supply, the government is importing 50,000 tonnes of octane in April, he said, adding that around 30,000 tonnes will come from domestic sources.

These will be enough to meet nearly two months’ demand, he assured.

He said authorities have conducted 3,168 drives nationwide, filed 1,053 cases, fined offenders Tk 75 lakh, and jailed 16 people.

“Around 2.08 lakh litres of fuel were recovered during these drives, including 1.4 lakh litres of diesel, 22,000 litres of octane, and 23,000 litres of petrol,” he said.