New Delhi: Bangladesh is set to receive 5,000 metric tonnes of diesel from India through a pipeline amid an escalating energy crisis because of West Asia conflict. According to bdnews24, a source in the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) has said that Dhaka is set to receive diesel from Parbatipur depot in Dinajpur, a district in Rangpur division, from the Numaligarh refinery in Assam through the Bangladesh-India Friendship Pipeline.
Inaugurated in 2023, the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFP) was the first cross-border energy pipeline project, designed to transfer high-speed diesel (HSD) from India to northern Bangladesh. General Manager of the Commerce and Operations Department at BPC, Muhammad Morshed Hossain Azad, said, “The pumping started yesterday, at 3.20 pm on Monday.”
Emphasising that it takes 44 hours to bring 5,00 metric tonnes of diesel, he said, “We are pumping about 113 metric tonnes of oil here every hour. Accordingly, the supply is expected to be completed by tomorrow evening.”
Before the launch of the IBFP pipeline in 2023, Dhaka used to buy diesel from Numaligarh Refinery in Assam, transporting it by rail. However, the pipeline has made the process more time- and cost-efficient.
A discussion on supplying diesel to Dhaka was held on Monday between Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Pranay Verma, and Bangladesh Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury. According to the proposal, a supply of an additional 50,000 metric tonnes of diesel over the next four months through the Bangladesh-India Friendship Pipeline was discussed.
Due to the global oil disruption, authorities in Dhaka on Monday also closed all public and private universities. Officials further highlighted that this move will reduce electricity consumption and ease traffic congestion, which leads to fuel wastage. Bangladesh’s Ministry of Education issued a directive circular to universities, stating, “The decision has been taken to reduce electricity and fuel consumption considering the current global situation.”
Alongside these measures, the Bangladeshi government has also issued guidelines to institutions and offices to limit unnecessary use of electricity and use natural daylight.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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