Low quality fuel at high price!
Though the global oil prices have fallen sharply over the past seven months, Bangladesh government continues to charge stubbornly high price for fuels. Most oddly, the quality of fuel is below the BSTI standards that results in further loss of production capacity and environmental pollution.
According to a report published in Prothom Alo, octane and petrol available in our local market contains lesser percentage of octane molecules than the BSTI standard. For example, there should be 95 percent octane molecules in octane but our local octane contains less than 90 percent. Usage of substandard fuel badly affects the overall production efficiency. According to Bus and Truck Owners Association, they cannot introduce high performance engines due to low quality diesel. Substandard fuel also creates high pollution. The diesel we use contains 20 times more sulfur, a major air pollutant, than the diesel used in India.
Rampant adulteration of the fuels occurs at various stages of the supply chain that impinges on the quality of fuel products. A section of unscrupulous refineries mix condensate, byproducts obtained in gas extraction process, with the fuel. In the local market 1 litre of condensate costs Tk 42 while 1 litre petrol costs Tk 96. According to experts, corrupt fuel suppliers exploit this price gap. They have suggested reconsidering the pricing system of fuels to stop this malpractice. The government should seriously consider this proposal. It should also expedite the plan to establish a direct pipeline connecting Chittagong and Dhaka to control corruption in fuel supply system.
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