Shyamnagar (Satkhira) Correspondent

 

At Munshiganj Delma filling station in Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira, 48-year-old Bithika Rani Baidya waits on a motorcycle in line to collect fuel for her son, Sagar Baidya. Unable to obtain fuel for his hired motorcycle, Sagar Baidya has taken up agricultural work in the fields to earn money for the household. For that reason, his mother is waiting in line on the designated union fuel distribution day to collect petrol for his bike. On Thursday,  Bithika Baidya was seen standing in the blazing sun waiting with a vehicle. The Delma filling station authorities said fuel can be collected only after five days due to the nationwide fuel shortage. The announcement that fuel would be distributed on Thursday by union caused long queues to form. The upazila administration decided that fuel for three unions would be distributed from Delma filling station on the prescribed days and times. According to the Munshiganj union council, more than two thousand people in the union use motorcycles. Local motorcycle taxi drivers at the local rate are turning to other work—or sitting idle—because they cannot get fuel as needed due to the fuel shortage. In this situation, mothers are coming to collect fuel instead of their sons. Mother of three, Bithika Rani Baidya, said her son supports the household by driving a motorcycle taxi for hire and doing farm work. When he couldn’t get fuel on time, he went to do agricultural labor. Hearing that fuel was available, she brought the vehicle and is waiting in line for fuel. The filling station supplied fuel to commuters in the morning. Afterwards fuel will be distributed to the general public, which is why Bithika Rani is waiting in line. Munshiganj Union Parishad member Debashish Gayen said that fuel is being distributed on a union basis according to the upazila administration’s decision, in coordination with everyone.