BENGALURU/AHMEDABAD/LUCKNOW/PANAJI: Panic buying of fuel has led to long queues outside petrol stations in several states, with some outlets resorting to rationing, amid concerns over supplies linked to the ongoing West Asia crisis. But the central government said on Thursday that India had enough fuel stock to last about 60 days and dismissed reports of shortages as a “deliberate disinformation campaign” aimed at sparking panic buying.
“There is nearly two months of steady supply available to every Indian citizen, regardless of what happens globally. Any representation that India’s reserves are depleted or insufficient should be rejected with the disdain it deserves,” the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said in a statement.
In Gujarat, long queues were reported in cities like Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat and Gandhinagar, with the state government saying fuel sales had risen four to five times since Monday. “Fuel sales have increased four to five times due to panic buying. We want to reassure people that there is sufficient supply of fuel and that it continues around the clock,” the government said in a statement on Thursday.
Some fuel pump owners said they have capped sales at $200 for two-wheelers and $2000 for four-wheel drive.
“We have no choice because people are hoarding fuel,” said a fuel pump owner in Surat, describing scenes of people filling cans with petrol and diesel. “Many people come from villages to buy fuel in bulk.”
As a result of panic buying, some gas stations in Surat and Ahmedabad closed temporarily after running out of stock. Traders appealed to people not to panic. On Wednesday, police detained Gopal Chudasama, president of the Rajkot Petrol and Diesel Traders Association, on charges of spreading misleading information on social media about fuel shortages.
In Kashmir, a severe rush was reported at petrol pumps across Srinagar and other parts of the valley, with people queuing up with vehicles, cans and bottles, resulting in winding queues.
Many gas stations closed their doors after drying out. Owais Ahmed from Srinagar said: “I had to wait for more than an hour for my turn as there was huge crowding. But I finally managed to fill my car with petrol.” A petrol station owner in the Ganderbal area said that people were “causing panic unnecessarily”, forcing many stations to close early. “Sufficient quantity of LPG and petroleum products is available throughout the valley. It is being replenished regularly to ensure uninterrupted supply,” Kashmir District Commissioner Anshul Garg said.
In Karnataka, the situation remained largely normal in Bengaluru, although water shortages were reported in smaller towns such as Yadgir, Belagavi and Hubballi Dharwad district. In some areas, police accompanied fuel tankers to sales outlets and warned against spreading rumors on social media.
Petrol pumps have been instructed not to fill fuel in unsafe containers, said Pruthvik Shankar, superintendent of police in Yadgir, warning of license suspension due to violations. In Davangere, officials also reassured residents about cooking gas supplies. “There is no shortage of fuel, including cooking gas, petrol and diesel, in the district. There is no need to panic and reserve cylinders. Commercial cylinders are also being made available,” said GM Gangadharaswamy, deputy commissioner.
Meanwhile, long queues were seen in Goa outside petrol stations and LPG agencies on Wednesday and Thursday, forcing some stations to close temporarily to replenish stocks. “We are seeing kilometre-long queues at petrol stations. This is unnecessary. There is no shortage of petrol at all in Goa,” Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said. Narahar Thakur, president of Goa Petrol Pump Dealers Association, said the state has enough fuel stock for 14 days.
In Meghalaya, there is a community kitchen that serves approximately 200 meals a day $Port 5 was closed for the first time in years due to a severe shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), officials familiar with the matter said on Thursday. In Odisha, subsidized canteens have reduced cooking operations to conserve LPG, reducing the number of beneficiaries to about a fifth of what it was before the West Asia crisis.
Long queues were also reported at petrol pumps from select centers in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, with several pumps running dry in Lucknow.
Sanjay Bhandari, coordinator of oil companies in Uttar Pradesh, said they had enough stock available for more than three weeks. Pump operators also urged citizens not to panic. “There are 13,168 petrol pumps in Uttar Pradesh and the company’s depots easily have 20 to 22 days’ worth of fuel stored. I don’t understand how this rush started,” he said.
“There is widespread talk that fuel supplies may be damaged due to international tensions. This fear has led to panic buying,” said Akash Singh, a private sector employee in Lucknow.
