Businesses have to pay higher truck fares to transport goods as the fuel crisis caused by the Middle East conflict has affected the operations at Hili land port in Dinajpur.

Destination-wise fare has jumped by Tk 5,000 to 6,000 per truck, with most on Chattogram and Sylhet routes, creating concern that commodity prices may rise due to the increased transport costs.

Previously, Tk 25,000 was charged per truck to transport 15 tonnes of goods on the Chattogram route, and now the cost is Tk 30,000 to Tk 31,000. The fare on the Dhaka route is now more than 21,000, which was around Tk 17,000 previously, leaving port businesses in severe trouble.

Truck driver Abul Kalam, who was heading towards Chattogram with goods, said, "The truck fare rose by Tk 5,000 to Tk 6,000 in a few days. If this continues, we will suffer greatly."

Another driver, Rafiq, who is going with rice on a truck, said he has to pay Tk 4,000 more than previously.

Expressing anger over the truck fare hike, businessman Abdus Sobhan, coming from Chattogram, told News that there is no problem regarding oil in the country. Trucks run with enough oil. "Owners have raised truck fare in the pretext of the oil crisis, where we, common businesses, are helpless."

Seeking anonymity, a local truck owners` association leader told News, "There is a bit of a crisis of patrol and octane; however, no crisis of diesel. Despite this, the effect of not getting oil in time has begun."