Hyderabad: The Telangana Civil Supplies Department on Tuesday, April 28, assured that copious fuel stocks are available in the state, even as long queues continued at some petrol pumps in Hyderabad amid panic buying.
State Civil Supplies Commissioner Stephen Raveendra said 11,490 litre of petrol and 18,449 litre of diesel were supplied to consumers on April 27 against the average demand of 5,883 litre of petrol and 7,348 litre of diesel per day.
The government is monitoring the supply situation with field-level officials and fuel companies, he said in a statement.
He appealed to the consumers not to have misconceptions about petrol and diesel availability and not to stock fuel.
People throng fuel stations
Long queues continued to be seen at petrol pumps across Hyderabad on Tuesday, although lesser than seen on Monday, even as consumers complained that they had to wait for a long time to get fuel for their vehicles.
The immediate trigger was a wave of rumours circulating about uncertainty in global oil markets, driven largely by fears over the ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran. The anxiety centred on Indian oil vessels struck in the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting supplies.
That fear, however, is unverified, but it was enough to send residents scrambling to petrol pumps with cans and containers, with rapidly depleting stations that would otherwise have managed the day’s demand comfortably.
Several petrol pumps ran out of fuel as well, with “no supply” boards showing the panic buying among people.
A petrol pump attendant told Siasat.com on Monday that a change in oil company credit policy has compounded the problem. “Most of the smaller bunks going out of stock are those who have been finding it difficult to pay, while the bigger bunks with high turnover are paying,” he said, explaining that oil marketing companies were now asking pump owners to pay tens of lakhs in advance to receive deliveries.
“The four-wheeler drivers who need 10 litre fuel are filling up 100 litre. A two-wheeler rider who needs Rs 100 petrol is filling up Rs 500,” the petrol bunk attendant exclaimed.
Hyderabad witnessed the fuel shortage barely a month ago in late March, when similar disruptions paralysed parts of the city. That episode passed. This one arrived quietly on April 25, and by Monday, it had spread into a familiar, grinding chaos.
