FROM PAGE 12

-- around 25 percent higher -- is set to begin today.

During yesterday’s visits, correspondents saw motorcyclists waiting four to eight hours for fuel, while cars queued for 10 to 14 hours.

At 5:00pm, a winding line of motorcycles outside Sonar Bangla Filling Station in Asad Gate stretched along Asad Avenue, crossed Mohammadpur Town Hall and reached Al-Amin Jame Mosque on Shahjahan Road.

“I’m getting fuel after nearly nine and a half hours. The entire day is gone,” said Md Suman Mia, a ride-sharing driver. “My income is falling. It feels like I spend 15 days working and 15 days just standing in fuel lines.”

He said a fuel pass now would allow him to receive Tk 1,000 worth of fuel at a time, compared to Tk 500 previously.

Another motorcyclist said he had queued from 4:00pm on Friday, only for fuel to run out at 11:00pm. “Two full days wasted,” he said.

At nearby Talukder Filling and Servicing Centre, fuel had yet to arrive, but motorcycle queues had already stretched to Zia Udyan, while car queues extended past the Parliament’s LD Gate towards Khamarbari.

Near the front of the line, Syed Rumman Alam, a private-sector employee, said he took leave from work and joined the queue at 7:00am, only to learn fuel would not be available before evening.

Still, he waited, having already visited at least seven stations earlier in the day without success. His bike was also running near empty.

Similar scenes were observed at Tejgaon’s Southern and Satata pumps, Paribagh’s Meghna and Purbachal stations, and the Ramna pump near Matsya Bhaban, where queues weaved through key roads and intersections.

As of yesterday, diesel stock stood at 101,784 tonnes, enough for around 10 days. Petrol stock was about 18,800 tonnes -- sufficient for more than two weeks of demand, with local production continuing as expected, officials said.