Chilmari (Kurigram) Correspondent

Two floating oil barges have been empty of oil for almost 3 years in Chilmari under Kurigram.

80% of the farmers in the region are struggling to buy oil at a fair price due to lack of oil. Due to non-availability of fuel oil, oil supply has been stopped in 4 districts of greater Rangpur Division.

Local farmers have demanded that these two floating oil depots be reopened as soon as possible. Meanwhile, it has been reported that the workers who work at the oil depot on a daily attendance basis are now unemployed.

Local businessmen said that since there is no oil in the Chilmari floating depot, the dealers have to pay an additional cost of around 20 thousand rupees to bring 1 load of oil to Chilmari from various depots including Baghabari, Parvatipur.

Also the cost varies depending on the location. Farmers have to buy oil at higher cost on one hand and on the other hand. According to the concerned persons, three barges of Padma, Meghna and Yamuna Petroleum Limited were launched in Chilmari upazila in 1989 to meet the demand of diesel and kerosene oil of the entire Rangpur division including this region.

At that time, due to internal reasons, the barge of Padma Petroleum Limited was moved to another place by the concerned authorities. Two barges of Meghna and Yamuna Petroleum Limited have been lying without oil for the last three years after supplying oil to the farmers of this region including Chilmari for a long time.

The official said in a medium that currently the depot authorities are trying to move two oil depots from here in the name of renovation. Local oil traders and farmers did not allow the depot to be moved, demanding that it be renovated here.

On investigation, it was found that a barge Hegi-1 of Yamuna Oil Company Limited and Barge Hegi-4 of Meghna Petroleum Limited were taken to Chilmari on various pretexts, but they were not sent to Chilmari. It has been alleged that without sending the two barges taken earlier, the other two barges are being moved again under different pretexts.

According to depot sources, a vessel of Yamuna Oil Company Limited last brought oil in January 2020 and a vessel of Meghna Petroleum Limited came to Chilmari with oil in February 2021 but it quickly ran out.

And since then, the authorities stopped the supply of oil to the Chilmari floating depot. The Chilmari floating depot can hold 5 lakh 25 thousand liters of oil in the current barge of Yamuna Oil Company Limited and 4 lakh 45 thousand liters of oil in the barge of Meghna Petroleum Ltd. Aminul Islam, a farmer of Thanahat Union, said that we have to buy oil at a higher price because there is no oil in the depot.

And if I had bought oil from the depot, I could have bought it at a lower price. Now the demand to the government is to start this depot again very soon. Goichal Haque, Charer of Shakhahati of Chilmari Union, said that since there is no oil in the depot for several years, we have to buy oil from outside.

Jobaidul Islam Sweet, a local dealer and oil trader, said that we oil traders are disappointed because of the lack of oil. Marginal farmers and boatmen are in trouble due to non-arrival of this oil. They are now getting more expensive to import oil.

Zahid Murad, AGM of Jamuna Oil Company Limited said a team visited the Chilmari floating depot and if they report, necessary action will be taken, but plans are underway to set up a shore/shore depot in place of the floating depot.