As part of the strike programme, they stopped drawing oil from the Godnail and Fatulla depots. As a total of 550 agents did not work and 650 tank-lorries did not ply, 300 petrol pumps remained closed due to lack of supply.

Dhaka Divisional Committee of Bangladesh Tank-lorry Owners Association, Bangladesh Jalani Tel Paribeshok Samity (Bangladesh Fuel Oil Distributors Association) and Bangladesh Tank-lorry Sramik Union have jointly called the strike.

They also demanded resignation of the energy adviser and government intervention to overcome the present crisis.

"The strike will continue until the government meets our demands," said Syed Sajjadul Karim Kabul, president of the tank-lorry owners association, adding "if necessary, we will enforce the strike across the country in phases." He was addressing a joint press conference in Dhaka yesterday. Expressing solidarity, tank-lorries at Bhairob depots in Chandpur also did not lift oil, he added.

He said the petroleum supplier companies under the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) now provide only 17 lakh litres against the demand for 32 lakh litres of petroleum including 28 lakh litres of diesel, 3 lakh litres of octane and 1 lakh litres of petrol in Dhaka division per day, resulting in a shortage of around 40 percent.

Kabul also rejected the BPC's claim that no rationing has been imposed over distribution of diesel.

Meanwhile, several hundred owners and workers of tank-lorries and fuel pumps staged demonstration and brought out processions yesterday in front of Meghna and Jamuna depots at Fatulla as well as Padma and Meghna depots at Godnail to press home their demands.

Insiders in the fuel-oil trade indicated that there would be a dearth of supply during the stoppage, especially from today.

However, the BPC in a press release on Monday said the actual sale of diesel in the country during August 2006 is recorded to be 189,105 metric tonnes as against the sale of 179,524 metric tonnes during August 2005, showing an increase by 5.34 percent.

During the second half of August 2006, sale of diesel was 132,580 metric tonnes against the sale of 101,729 metric tonnes during the corresponding period of August 2005, showing an increase of 30.33 percent. Even during last week, sale of diesel was higher by 3,403 metric tonnes over sale during the same period of last year, the release said adding that no rationing has been imposed over distribution of diesel.

The stock position of all petroleum products in the country including diesel is satisfactory, the BPC statement added.