BPC fuel depots in Balashi, Chilmari empty for 3 weeks
IRRI-Boro in Gaibandha, Kurigram affected
Rezaul Haq, Gaibandha
Two floating fuel depots in Gaibandha and Kurigram districts are dry for about three weeks as oil tankers can not approach them because the Jamuna channel has silted up. Lack of fuel supply from the depots has hit cultivation of IRRI-Boro and Rabi crops in their command areas, sources said.The two floating depots at Balashi in Gaibandha and at Chilmari in Kurigram with a capacity to store four lakh litres of diesel each were set up by Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) to supply diesel to farmers in the areas round the year at low transport cost. No oil tanker could reach the depots since December 14 as the silted Jamuna channel lost navigability, depot officials told this correspondent yesterday. Matiur Rahman, in-charge of Balashi depot, said MV Shamira carried six lakh litres and MV Taposh carried four lakh 16 thousand litres to the two depots on December 14 and that was the last supply so far. At least seven feet depth of water is needed for oil tankers to ply while the water level is three to four feet at certain points of the Jamuna channel now, he said. Usually, at least 90 lakh litres of diesel is need to be supplied from Balashi depot to meet the demand in its command area during the peak Irri-Boro season during January- March, he said. So supply of fuel oil should be restored through dredging silted channel, he added. Whne contacted over cell phone, Mohammed Ali, in-charge of Chilmari depot, said the depot is empty for over three weeks BPC sources said its Bagabari depot in Pabna has a stock of 3.91 crore litres of diesel against a requirement of about 7.71 crore litres for 16 northern districts during the current month. "Bagabari depot is supplying half of the requirement and we are anxious for diesel supplies to meet the demand during the peak IRRI-Boro season", said Shahajada Anwarul Kadir, president of North Bengal Fuel Distribution Association.
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