Rajbari Correspondent: A severe fuel shortage has brought daily life and transportation in Rajbari district to a near standstill, with most filling stations running dry since early morning on Wednesday.

According to local sources, the district has been experiencing a fuel crisis for the past two months, with intermittent supply and regulated sales. However, the situation worsened significantly as no fuel was available at any of the district’s ten filling stations from early Wednesday.

Visits to several stations, including Rajbari Filling Station and Palash Filling Station in the Sreepur area, revealed that customers were returning empty-handed due to the lack of fuel. At Kazi Filling Station in the New Market area, farmers were seen waiting with containers in hopes of collecting diesel.

Local farmer Habiullah Khan said the shortage is severely hampering agricultural activities. “We are unable to irrigate jute, sesame, and paddy fields due to the diesel crisis,” he said, adding that diesel is being sold at as high as Tk 200 per litre in distant markets.

The crisis has also disrupted transportation, with many vehicle’s seen stranded at filling stations and bus terminals. Solaiman Hossain, a local bus driver on the Daulatdia Kushtia route, said he had been searching for fuel since Tuesday night. “We waited for two hours at Goalanda and then came to New Market, but still couldn’t get diesel. We urge authorities to resolve this suffering,” he said.

Officials at Kazi Filling Station said that no fuel was supplied from the depot on Tuesday due to a holiday. However, a fuel tanker is expected to arrive later, and supply may resume from Thursday.