Rangpur, April 17 -- A worsening fuel crisis has gripped Rangpur, leaving motorcyclists and private car owners stranded in long queues for hours as petrol pumps struggle with limited supply across the district.

According to local sources, around 350 petrol pumps operate in the city and eight upazilas of the district, but more than half of them are not supplying fuel regularly.

A visit to several petrol pumps on Friday morning found severe shortages of petrol and octane, with many displaying "no fuel" signs. At the pumps still operating, customers were being rationed to a maximum of Tk 200 worth of fuel each.

A similar situation has been seen across eight upazilas, including Mithapukur, Pirganj, Pirgachha, Kaunia, Badarganj, Taraganj an...