Diesel is selling at Tk 35-37 a litre against Tk 32-35 a week back, according to retailers and farmers.

Fuel dealers in the region alleged short supply from oil depots at Chilmari in Kurigram, Balashi in Gaibandha and Baghabari in Sirajganj as four barges got stuck on the Brahmaputra and the Jamuna for some days due to less flow of the river.

Officials of Padma, Jamuna and Meghna oil companies at the depots said yesterday supplies to dealers are being maintained through railway tankers.

Our Rangpur Correspondent reports: The Chilmari floating depot of Jamuna Oil in Kurigram has run out of stock as the barge Taposh with four lakk litres of oil is stagnated on the Bhramaputra at Nakalia in Bera upazila in Pabna district, sources at the deport said.

The depot-in-charge, Abdul Majid, when contacted over phone admitted that there been no supply as the barge is stranded on the Brahmaputra.

But he denied that there was shortage of diesel at dealers' level because all oil companies are maintaining supplies through alternative ways.

Majid said railway oil tankers with seven lak litres of diesel were brought to Rangpur from Chittagong and fuel is being supplied to depots in Chilmari and Balashi Ghat.

He said dealers are manipulating the prices after the news spread that oil-carrying barges were stranded on the Brahmaputra.

The Chilmari floating oil depot supplied fuel to dealers in Kurigram and Lalmonirhat districts.

Our Gaibandha Correspondent reports: Balashi floating oil depot is dry for about one month as no oil barge could reach it due to loss of navigability of the Brahmaputra in the region, its manager Motiur Rahman told this correspondent yesterday.

He said the last supply to dealers from the depot was made on December 22.

Three oil barges are now stranded at Patchkhola and Char Shafuria on the Jamuna river in Pabna for three days. It is uncertain when the barges will float again, he said.

However, manager of a filling station in Gaibandha town -- Kadir and Sonssaid, "We are collecting kerosene and diesel from Bagabari depot since the Balashi floating depot went dry about two months back".

Fuel dealers in Kurigram and Lalmonirhat are also lifting diesel from Baghabari depot now as the Balashi deport is dry, he claimed. This adds to their cost.

There may be crisis if supplies can not be maintained through railway tankers, said Shahajada Anwarul Kadir, President of Rajshahi Divisional Oil Distributors Association.

Our Nilphamari Correspondent reports: Fuel dealers in Nilphamari said about 80 per cent of diesel in the district is supplied from Baghabari oil depot and the rest 20 per cent from Parbatipur oil depot in Dinajpur.

Diesel is supplied by Padma, Meghna and Jamuna oil companies to Baghebari from Chittagong and Khulna, which is now seriously affected as the flows of Jamuna and Brahmaputra have reduced.

Bappy Bhoumik, a dealer of Meghna and Jamuna oil companies said he got two lorries of diesel from Parbatipur on Wednesday though he wanted three lorries.

He also informed that high officials of Meghna and Jamuna oil companies informed him that due to navigability problem in the river Jamuna, they would bring additional fuel to Parbotipur through rail route.

Our Sirajganj Correspondent reports: An official at Bhaghabari depot when contacted yesterday said fuel supply from the deport will stop 'within a short period' if the barges now stuck up on the river do not reach Bhaghabari ghat.

Officials of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) said they are supplying fuel to northern districts by using railway tankers. Dealers will get fuel from Rajshahi, Parbotipur and Natore if supplies through river routes can not be maintained, they said.

But this many not be sufficient, other sources said.