Administration turns a blind eye

Rehennuma Tarannum and Raaz Mostafa:

The sale of crude oil mixed with high-proportion lead goes on unabated at Baghabari river port area in Shahzadpur upazila of Sirajganj district causing extensive damage to vehicles’ engines.

Besides, due to use of such adulterated fuel oil, toxic black smoke is being emitted from different vehicles that posing serious threat to the environment. But, there is a complained that, the concerned authorities have turned into a blind eye to notice it due to mysterious reasons.

Vehicle users claimed that, the adulterated fuel business mixed with crude oil is not stopping at all here due to lax-vigilance by the authorities concerned. Rather, it is increasing day by day.

At present, adulterated fuel mixed with crude oil is being supplied to 16 districts of the northern region including Sirajganj, Pabna, Natore, Rajshahi and Bogura district. A section of unscrupulous oil traders are getting engaged in this business day by day being allured to get high profit overnight. Trading of crude oil mixed with high-level lead is causing extensive damage to vehicle engines as well as threatening to the local environment.

According to the sources, crude oil business is being conducted centering Baghabari oil depot, which is known as a largest depot in the northern region.

Some influential agents of BPC have been running this business for long throughout syndicates. These dishonest agents bring about 72,000 to 81,000 liters of crude oil daily from Narayanganj and mix it with BPC oil and then supply it to different places in the region. The unscrupulous cycle is making around Tk 100 crore per month by mixing crude oil with BPC oil.

There is a complained that, the syndicate members pay about Tk 2 lakh to various quarters including law enforcement agencies as bribe per day in which they can operate the trade smoothly.

BSTI and local administration are responsible to control adulteration, but the officials of these two important institutions have not taken any action in this regard, the concerned people have complained.

Only a business establishment in the country has been permitted to import crude oil from abroad and sell it to the government. This crude oil is refined to produce octane, petrol, diesel and kerosene. The government-owned Converted Natural Gas Company Limited (RPCGL) produces petroleum products from the crude oil.

Apart from this, the government has also allowed five more private companies to produce petroleum products including octane, petrol, diesel and kerosene from the crude oil. But, the refined octane, petrol, diesel and kerosene are not allowed to be sold in the open market from them. The five private refinery companies have to sell refined oil to BPC’s Padma, Meghna and Jamuna companies. Although, there is no provision for selling crude oil to outside, two traders in Narayanganj have been running crude oil business secretly due to lack of monitoring by the authorities concerned. The marked businessmen of Narayanganj have been supplying the crude oil to the Baghabari syndicate after bringing from abroad.

Sources said, a powerful gang of 10 to 20 people led by Faisal-Al-Farooq of Baghabari have been running this adulterated fuel business for long on the top of nose of the law enforcement agencies. They fetch high-level lead mixed smelly crude oil from Narayanganj by road and mix it with BPC’s fuel oil and sell to oil traders in different districts of the northern region. As the color of crude oil is exactly like water, there is no way to know that it is adulterated when mixed with octane, petrol, diesel or kerosene.

In the hope of higher profits, the gang leaders are marketing the crude oil by mixing it directly into fuel oil with the connivance of the dishonest officials of the administration and law enforcement agencies, many complained.

The cycle members bring unrefined crude oil from Narayanganj through Bangabandhu Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge with six to seven tank-lorries daily. As the sale of crude oil is prohibited, they don’t use any invoice while carrying it. Later, this crude oil is mixed with fuel oil at Baghabari river port area and sold to different recruited agents in 16 districts of the region.

Seeking anonymity, a fuel pump owner told The Daily Sky that, it will be possible to prevent supply of prohibited crude oil, if check posts are set up on the both sides of Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge.

It is to be mentioned that, a number of people, who are agents of Padma, Meghna and Jamuna Companies, are close relatives of crude oil top trader Faisal-Al-Farooq of Shaktola village in Shahjadpur upazila of Sirajganj district.

Among them, Harun, also his elder brother, Alam Pramanik of Shaktola village, Shahidul Islam and Md Shamim Pramanik of Alokdiar village, Babu Mian and Milon Sheikh of Nukali village, Md Rauf and Mohan Pramanik of Dwabaria village, Russell Pramanik, Md. Sirajul Islam and Md. Motaleb Pramanik of Nagarbayra village are remarkable.

It is learnt from the relevant sources that, at once upon a time, the members of this contaminated fuel oil business gang based in Baghabari used to work as rickshaw puller or daily labourers.

About 15-16 years ago, some businessmen of Chattogram and Sylhet used to supply condensate to Baghabari, and the members of this gang became millionaires from zero in less than a few years by selling the condensate mixed fuel oil.

Each member of this ring has now become owner of more than one tank-lorries and a lot of wealth. After the closure of business in Chattogram and Sylhet, they started bringing crude oil from Narayanganj in their own tank-lorries. Many of them now travel with their own private cars, locals said.

Insiders said, they can make a profit of about Tk 1.5 lakh per day by selling a lorry of contaminated crude oil. Therefore, this gang has been continuing the adulterated oil business by managing some unscrupulous police personnel, labour leaders and even some so-called journalists.

Due to the use of adulterated oil, valuable equipment including vehicle engines are being damaged as well as environmental pollution is increasing.

Meanwhile, BPC’s Baghabari, Parbartipur, Rangpur, Rajshahi and Haryana oil depots supply about 4 million liters of fuel oils of Padma, Meghna and Jamuna companies to Pabna, Sirajganj, Bogura, Naogaon, Gaibandha, Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Panchagarh, Jaipurhat, Chapainawabganj, Dinajpur and Natore districts daily.

Due to the smuggling of crude oil in this region, the sale of fuel oil from the five prominent depots in the northern region has decreased by about 40 percent. Related sources claimed that, BPC is incurring financial loss every year as well as the government is depriving of huge revenue due to operation of such illegal business in the region.

Experts and many vehicles’ drivers and owners said, high-level lead mixed adulterated oil is causing extensive damage to car engines and the smoke of adulterated oil is causing irreparable damage to the human body. So, all should be aware about it since now.

While contacted over cell phone, Wahedul Hassan, In-charge of Padma Oil Depot (operation) in Baghabari declined to make any comment in this regard on the plea of remaining busy in a meeting.

Md. Kamruzzaman, UNO of Shahzadpur told The Daily Sky that, “I am yet to get such type of complaint from any quarter. If I get specific allegation or evidence in this regard, I shall take drastic action against the evil traders.”

Md. Kamruzzaman, Additional Superintendent of Police (Addl’ SP) of Shahzadpur Circle in Sirajganj said, “I am so far not aware about such illegal business of crude oil at Baghabari. However, I shall take information about it and necessary action would be taken against the involved persons, if the allegation is authentic.”