DHAKA, Mar 28 (V7N) – In a major administrative move to stabilize the country's energy sector, the government has decided to appoint a dedicated "Tag Officer" to every petrol pump in Bangladesh. This initiative, announced by the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources on Saturday, aims to eliminate irregularities, prevent hoarding, and ensure a transparent distribution of fuel amidst the ongoing global energy crunch.

The Decision-Making Process

The decision was finalized during an emergency online review meeting held on Friday, March 27, chaired by Mohammad Saiful Islam, Secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division. The move is a direct response to the "artificial" supply shortages reported across the capital and other districts following the recent Middle East escalation and post-Eid logistics bottlenecks.

Key Administrative Structure

The appointment of these officers will be decentralized to ensure local accountability:

  • Dhaka and Chattogram: The Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) will directly appoint tag officers for all filling stations within these two metropolitan areas.

  • District and Divisional Levels: Outside the two major cities, the respective Deputy Commissioners (DCs) will be responsible for assigning a government official to each pump.

  • Upazila Level: The Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs) have been directed to appoint tag officers for stations under their local jurisdiction.

Duties and Oversight

The appointed tag officers will be tasked with:

  1. Monitoring Inflow: Verifying exactly how much fuel is delivered from the depots to the designated pumps.

  2. Sales Supervision: Ensuring that fuel is not being diverted to the black market or sold in drums for illegal stockpiling.

  3. Daily Reporting: Submitting standardized daily activity reports to the BPC and the Energy Division to maintain a real-time database of national stock levels.

Wider Security Measures: BGB Deployment

The "Tag Officer" initiative complements other aggressive measures taken this week. On the morning of March 28, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) confirmed its deployment to 19 major fuel depots across nine districts—including Dhaka, Sylhet, and Chattogram—to prevent sabotage and ensure that oil tankers can move safely during the night.

Additionally, the Ministry reported that as of Friday, 293 mobile court drives had been conducted in 62 districts, resulting in 78 legal cases and significant fines for stations found to be "hiding" stock or overcharging consumers.

END/SMA/AJ