Beanibazar Gas Field
Syndicate steals Tk 1cr oil a year
Oil worth about Tk one crore is allegedly being pilfered every year from the state-owned Beanibazar gas field.
Sources said, a syndicate of some dishonest officials and employees of the gas field, Padma-Jamuna depot in Sylhet and owners and drivers of tank-lorries are involved in stealing the oil.
They said the oil is pilfered from the gas field by overloading oil in tank-lorries during the supply of fuel to Padma-Jamuna depot in Sylhet. At least 100 people are involved in the network, they said.
The sources said, at least 60 oil-tankers are used every month to carry the refinery fresh oil from the Beanibazar gas field to Padma-Jamuna depot.
Although each tank-lorry is supposed to load 9,000 litres of oil but the tankers carry 9,100 to 9,200 liters. The excess oil is being sold in open markets in Chittagong.
A government official said after loading a tank-lorry, the security lock is not properly sealed. The security lock is put in such a way so the excess oil could easily be unloaded on the way by opening the seal.
The DGM of the Beanibazar gas field said they hold no responsibility after the loaded tank lorry leaves the gas field and they are not responsible for selling oil in the black market.
Padma oil depot DGM (operation) Rezaul Karim said he did not know that oil is being stolen from the tank lorries.
However, a tank-lorry driver said on condition of anonymity that sell oil worth Tk 2,500-Tk 3,000 to meet their 'daily expenditure'.
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