Most pumps supplying adulterated fuel oil

Destroying car engines in short time

Golam Mostafa Jibon: Stealing of fuel oils from most of the fuel pumps in the capital through different tricks is going on unabated due to lack of proper monitoring by the authorities concerned.
On the other hand, adulterated fuels are being supplied randomly that damaging engines of most vehicles regularly.
As a result, buyers and users of oils are being cheated everyday as well as they are counting losses without their knowledge.
According to the sources, thousands of buses, trucks, private cars and motorbikes are being plied on the roads of the country including the capital city Dhaka every day. These vehicles run with diesel, petrol and octane. The owners and drivers of these vehicles are being swindled, while taking diesel, petrol or octane from pumps.
Most of the pumps in the country including Dhaka are supplying adulterated fuel oils, while some are providing fewer amounts of fuels deceiving in weight. Experts said, the owners of the vehicles are being cheated in prices. Similarly, the engines of their vehicles are being damaged due to use of adulterated oils.
Leaders of the Bangladesh Petrol Pump Owners Association also admitted that the pumps located in district and upazila level including the capital city Dhaka have been providing less-amount of fuel oils deceiving weight through meters.
Earlier, BSTI conducting mobile court unearthed several such fuel stations in the capital, which were involved with stealing of fuel oils through the tricks of meters and meter-men. The mobile courts also fined them several amounts of money for their offenses.
But, the practices did not reduce. In addition, stealing of fuel oils from pumps through different tactics of meter-men has nowadays increased abnormally due to lax-vigilance of the authorities concerned causing losses to the vehicles’ drivers and owners.
The BSTI’s law on underweight has a provision for fine of up to Tk 10,000 and three years imprisonment for each offense. But, vehicles’ owners complained that there is law, but no enforcement. Consequently, fuel pumps owners in collaboration with their workers especially fuel supplying meter-men are cheating with the vehicle owners day after day.
Seeking anonymity, an official of CAB said, “No initiative has been taken to prevent oil theft recently. Therefore, the trend is on the rise. The directives of the Energy and Mineral Resources affairs Ministry should be implemented to prevent adulteration and stealing of fuel oils. It is learned that, there are around 3000 fuel oil pumps in the country. Of them, many are yet to get approval from the authorities concerned. Many of the pumps are involved with fuel theft and giving hundreds of liters less amount octane, diesel and petrol per day to the customers. Thus, the pump owners are amassing crores of Taka from the customers day after day. But, none is here to see the matter, sufferers complained.
They said, less fuel is being supplied from different pumps throughout swindling in meter. Most of the meters at the fuel pumps give faulty reading due to tricks of the owners and workers. But, fuel users are not getting remedy due to inactiveness of the law enforcement agencies.
Earlier in 2019 and 2020, an inspection team of the concerned department conducted drives at around 350 pumps of the capital. At that time, the team came to know that most of the pumps were involved with supplying adulterated fuel oils. Besides, many of them had been supplied less-amount of fuel oils to the buyers through the meter manipulation.
Though, BSTI is responsible to ensure the quality and quantity of fuel oils by monitoring in the fuel stations for the sake of customers, the organization did not pay necessary heeds to this matter after the mentioned period in which the pump owners have got a scope to provide fewer amounts in weight and run brisk business of adulterated oils.
During a spot visit to Hazipara CNG and Fuel Station at Malibagh Chowdhury Para in the capital yesterday, this correspondent found that, a biker was engaged in quarrel with the meter-man over giving less in weight.
The biker claimed that, he wanted five liters of octane. But, meter-man gave him three liters of the oil and took money of five liters.
As per the demand of biker, the meter-man counted the meter from two liters, which was given another one before him. The meter-man stole two liters of oil in a while.
Like that biker, many vehicle owners claimed that, they are being cheated every day by the meter-men of different fuel stations.
When this correspondent tried to talk with the manager of the Hazipara CNG and Fuel Station, he declined to make any comment in this regard.
On condition of anonymity, an officer of BSTI said, “We want to conduct raid at the fuel pumps regularly so that the general consumers are not harassed and cheated by the pump owners and workers. But, we can’t continue it for want of necessary manpower. However, we will gear up the surveillance, if we get specific complaint.”