Situation at petrol bunks goes back to normal in Hyderabad

Situation at petrol bunks goes back to normal in Hyderabad

Nabinder Bommala | DC

Hyderabad: The sale of petrol and diesel on December 2 jumped three-fold compared to regular days with scores of people resorting to panic buying of fuel anticipating shortage in coming days.

In the month of December 2023, the average daily sale of petrol was 6,100 kilolitres (Kl) and diesel 9,800 kilolitres in Telangana state. However, on January 2, the sale was around three fold, said officials of the Civil supplies department and members of Petrol Dealers’ Association.

“The exact quantity of fuel that was sold on December 2 is yet to be assessed. According to me, it was around three times more than the regular daily average sale,” said Ravindra Kumar, Telangana state oil co-coordinator.

An official from the civil supplies department also said that there was no fuel shortage in the state and as people have already stocked up fuel, the sale of petrol and diesel will be less in the next three days.

“With people purchasing additional fuel on December 2, the bunks are likely to experience less footfalls in the next three days,” he said. A visit to petrol bunks in the city revealed that, at most places the footfall was normal like any other day since morning. However, at a few places, panic buying continued till afternoon.

While the situation at the petrol bunks located in Jubilee Hills Checkpost, Madhapur, Road Number 5 Jubilee Hills was normal, queues were spotted at a petrol bunk in Lakdikapul.

“Since morning, the footfall is the same like regular days and the condition has been the same as the day progressed,” said a staffer at the petrol bunk located in Jubilee Hills Check Post.

An IT employee at a petrol bunk at Madhapur blamed WhatsApp forwards for the panic buying of fuel on December 2. “The chaotic situation occurred  due to unverified news spread over WhatsApp groups,” said Manish Agarwal.

Several staff working in the city petrol bunks said that as soon as the truckers operating oil tankers called off the strike they were sure that  panic buying would stop and the condition would get back to normal.