Bikers suffer most 1st day

A filling station in the capital's Tejgaon wears a deserted look yesterday morning as petrol pump and tank-lorry owners enforce a strike to press for their demands including a hike in commission rates on fuel sales. Photo: Amran Hossain

Petrol pump and tank-lorry owners passed the first day of their countrywide indefinite strike yesterday, causing huge sufferings to vehicle owners and commuters, especially the bikers.
Many of the vehicle owners, who were unaware of the strike, had to travel from one station to another in search of fuel.
Bangladesh Petrol Pump Owners and Tank-Lorry Owners-Workers Unity Council enforced the strike to press home their nine-point demand, including a hike in commission on sales of fuel.
The power and energy ministry will hold talks with petrol pump owners at 3:00pm today to talk them out of the strike, said a ministry spokesperson.
“We have received an invitation from the power and energy ministry for attending a meeting at the ministry,”
said Nazmul Haq, convener of the council.
He said they will continue the strike until their demands are met.
Their demands include a 3.4 percent increase in commission on sales of diesel and 4 percent on sales of petrol and octane following price hike of fuel.
Other demands of the pump owners include a rise in tank-lorry fare and necessary steps against adulteration of fuel.
The shutdown caused immense suffering to vehicle owners and commuters in the capital.
Enamul Haq, 25, who was waiting with his motorbike in front of a petrol pump in Nilkhet, seemed desperate to have the vehicle refuelled.
“My motorbike has run out of fuel and I have to get it refuelled immediately.” But the petrol pump manager did not allow refuelling the motorbike, he said.
“I didn't know about the strike,” said Haq, who had to walk his motorbike for nearly a kilometre to reach the pump at about 11:40am.
Around 4,500 petrol pumps remained closed and 30,000 tank-lorries stayed off the streets across the country following the strike that began at 6:00am.
This correspondent found a number of petrol pumps in the capital closed in the morning.

The filling stations were selling only compressed natural gas (CNG), not any diesel, octane or petrol.
But later in the day, some petrol pumps sold fuel to motorcycle owners on a limited scale following the news of a meeting between the authorities and the strikers.
The strike also hit Chittagong, as 174 petrol pumps in the port city, Cox's Bazar, Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban remained closed, and tank-lorries were off the streets.
The filling stations that usually supply both petrol and CNG were providing only gas.
Abu Tayab, owner of a petrol pump at Panchlaish in Chittagong, said many vehicle owners left empty-handed from his pump Alhaj Md Yunus & Co since morning.
Asked about the people's sufferings due to the strike, he said, “We also feel sorry about that. But we are helpless as the government has not paid heed to our demands for years.”
Tayab said ambulances and vehicles of fire brigade and other emergency services were provided with fuel at the filling station, as they are out of the purview of the strike.