Sawt Falasteen - Bangladesh fuel crunch forces hours-long wait at the pump

While the government insists there is no crisis, the situation has become so severe that those who can afford it hire others to wait for them, with one company even creating an online app for queue waiters.

Shamsuddin, a 43-year-old driver who gave only his first name for privacy reasons, was waiting since midnight at a Dhaka gas station.

After six hours finally made it -- just in time to pick up his boss, a lawyer, for a morning court hearing.

"I will now be busy throughout the day," the visibly tired driver told AFP, his eyes red and heavy after the sleepless night.

As he left, hundreds of exhausted motorcycle riders were still queueing, the line stretching some 1.5 kilometres (nearly a mile) from the gas station. Some were slumped getting sleep on their immobile vehicle.

The South Asian nation of 170 million people imports 95 percent of its oil and gas needs, much of it from the Middle East, where energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have ground to a halt since the war began in late February.

Bangladesh's Energy Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud has blamed panic buying and insisted the country has enough fuel.

"There is no fuel crisis in the country," he told parliament on Sunday, saying the supply in March was the same as last year.

But the national association of mobile network operators said on Monday that they can no longer guarantee uninterrupted services, citing fuel shortages.

At the gas station, former government official Shariful Islam said he had already waited for three hours elsewhere, but "the pump stopped refuelling, as there was no oil left".

- Cashing in -

The long wait has also resulted in several reported deaths.

One person died after queueing for hours in the scorching heat in the city of Rangpur, local media said.

Two others were reportedly killed after tempers flared, including a pump manager allegedly run over by a truck driver in the southern district of Narail.

But some entrepreneurs have also identified business opportunities, including food sellers who offer hungry drivers bread and bananas, or more elaborate meals of spicy biryani rice.

Household help app Sheba XYZ, normally offering services such as plumbing and home repairs, now has a "refuelling driver service", charging up to 245 taka ($2) an hour for users to have someone else wait in line for them.

Sales of electric bikes have also surged, with government figures showing an over three-fold increase in imports, from 603 units in February to 2,139 in March.

Electric motorbike salesman Ashraful Alam said his Atlas showroom in Dhaka has sold six since opening last week.

"The demand for EV bikes is growing by the day," he said.

- 'Losing my income' -

Dhaka is one of the world's most densely populated cities, and daily commute along its car-clogged roads is a source of constant frustration for its 22 million residents.

Farhana Zannat, a mother of two, said she had had to plead with those waiting to be able to buy fuel for her motorbike so she could take her daughter for a school exam.

"I begged others in the queue, as I have no other option," Zannat said.

Years of congestion in the gridlocked metropolis have given rise to a booming sector of motorcycle taxi drivers, weaving through car traffic.

But the fuel crunch now threatens their livelihoods.

"I am losing my income," driver Mizanur Rahman said angrily.

The 40-year-old father of two said he used to make around 1,500 taka a day -- but that was before the Middle East war.

"I can't earn on the day I refill my motorcycle, as it now takes 10 to 12 hours," said Rahman, who joined a queue at 4:30 am even though the gas station said it would not have fresh supplies to sell at least until midday.

"I am afraid of taking long-distance passengers, as it is uncertain whether I will be able to refuel and return safely."

J.AbuShaban--SF-PST