Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman at a meeting in Moulvibazar yesterday denied ever saying that the fuel prices would be increased. "We are not increasing the oil prices at this moment," he said.

Labelling the media report as "misreport" and "media havoc", he said there is no crisis of fuel in the country, reports our correspondent in the district.

Energy Adviser Mahmudur Rahman also told the press that the ministry has neither sent any proposal to the prime minister requesting to increase the fuel prices nor does it have any plan to propose the government to do so soon.

He told reporters that the situation will improve within 48-72 hours.

He also asked the district commissioners (DCs) to identify unusual buying of fuels by the dealers during the last week.

Meanwhile, reports of severe fuel crisis came yesterday as unprincipled owners of filling stations stopped selling fuels at places in the northern districts where six vessels with 42 lakh tonne fuel have been stranded in the river in Bera upazila of Pabna for the last 12 days.

The price of kerosene yesterday shot up to Tk 50 per litre at some places while petrol was selling at Tk 100 per litre.

In the capital also some filling stations stopped selling fuel yesterday.

The administration even had to deploy police at some filling stations to avoid any untoward situation.

Our correspondents in Rangpur, Rajshahi and Gaibandha reported immense sufferings of people due to the acute artificial fuel crisis as the six fuel-carrying vessels could not deliver fuel to the depots in the northern districts due to sharp decrease in water level.

Our Rangpur correspondent reports: Most filling stations in Rangpur, Kurigram and Lalmonirhat remained closed as stock of oils ran short, Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) dealers claimed.

Police have been deployed at the oil depots of three companies in Rangpur for the last three days.

Although the district administration denied any crisis anywhere in the districts, they made arrangement of rationing petrol and diesel from a few filling stations with a view to easing the situation.

Meanwhile, what the oil dealers showed as the reason for the crisis contradicted the reason shown by the district administration and the three oil companies.

Masum Mia, owner of Shapla Oil Pump in Rangpur town, said the supply from the Baghabari oil depot remained suspended as its stock exhausted. "Only a few filling stations, including mine, are receiving supply from the Parbatipur oil depot, which brings fuels from Chittagong and Khulna by Bangladesh Railway tankers," he said.

But the amount of supply from the Parbatipur oil depot is quite insufficient compared to the demand in the district, a BPC dealer in Lalmonirhat said over telephone, preferring anonymity.

The depot superintendent of Jamuna Oil in Rangpur, however, told The Daily Star that there is no fuel crisis in any of the northern districts and the supply of fuel is sufficient.

Our Rajshahi correspondent reports: The artificial fuel crisis gripped the metropolitan city and nine upazilas of the district as all the filling stations continued not to sell oils yesterday.

Farmers apprehended a crisis in irrigation on paddy fields during the Boro season. Many bus owners kept their vehicles off the road due to the crisis.

Several petrol-pump owners said they ran short of fuels following crisis at the Baghabari depot. Some of them, however, reportedly sold petrol, octane and diesel secretly to the influential persons. Retailers are selling diesel and kerosene at Tk 50 and petrol at Tk 100 per litre.

No measures were seen to have been taken to control the situation.

Rajshahi DC Sayed Ahsanul Haque, however, said all officials concerned were ordered to supervise an easy rationing of fuel to the customers as the fuel pump owners reported crises.

Our correspondent in Gaibandha reports: Diesel and kerosene disappeared from the markets as dishonest fuel traders created crisis by hoarding fuel.

Eight filling stations and one floating depot reportedly went dry due to the scanty supply of fuel.

The Irri-Boro cultivators from remote areas rushed to the district headquarters for diesel but returned disappointed as the filling stations remained closed.

BDNEWS adds: Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil yesterday expressed grave concern over the artificial crisis of fuel.

In a statement protesting the artificial crisis, he said the situation was created by the unrestrained speech of the finance minister.

A syndicate of unscrupulous businessmen loyal to the government is now capitalising on the situation, he alleged, adding that the commoners have become the victims of the situation.

He urged the government to stop the price hike of fuel, ensure adequate supply and sale to the real consumers.

The Bangladesh Awami Jubo League, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Workers' Party also expressed concerns over the artificial crisis of fuel.

The CPB in a press release demanded resignation of the finance minister.