Vadodara: Serpentine queues of vehicles and impatient honking were a common sight across Vadodara on Tuesday as panic buying of fuel continued for the second consecutive day, despite constant assurances by the state govt and officials.Thousands of residents lined up outside petrol pumps across the city, many waiting for over an hour to fill their tanks.Even as the district administration repeatedly assured citizens that there was no shortage of fuel, crowds continued to throng petrol pumps. At some stations, attendants were forced to ration the supply. “We have been asked to sell only one litre of petrol per vehicle so that everyone gets some fuel,” said a staff member at a fuel station in Manjalpur.Queues began swelling late on Monday night itself, prompting the police to deploy teams at several fuel stations to prevent any untoward incidents. By Tuesday morning, office-goers once again crowded pumps in different parts of the city. The anxiety deepened as several of the city’s 163 fuel stations temporarily shut after running out of stock. “Around 30% of the fuel stations in the city were closed, but their stocks will be replenished soon,” said Mehul Patel, president of the Federation of Gujarat Petroleum Dealers Association. At some pumps, customers had to wait for hours as fresh fuel tankers arrived to refill underground storage tanks.To calm the situation, police teams were stationed at several fuel stations across the city, making announcements about the availability of fuel and urging citizens not to indulge in panic buying.District supply officer Gita Desai said adequate stocks of petrol, diesel, and LPG were available across the district and appealed to residents not to believe rumours.Officials said a total of 253 petrol pumps are operational in the district, all of which have sufficient stock. As of Tuesday morning, the district had an estimated petrol stock of about 1,699 kilo-litres, while sales surged to 1,084 kilo-litres on Monday following rumours. Diesel stock stands at around 2,300 kilo-litres, with sales of 1,049 kilo-litres recorded the same day.“I have to travel a long distance to reach my office, but my scooter didn’t have enough fuel. So I came to a fuel station in my area early in the morning and managed to refill the tank after waiting for almost an hour,” said Sonam Patel, a resident of Makarpura Road.Fisticuffs in SankhedaAt several fuel stations, tempers flared as people argued with pump attendants, demanding that they be given more petrol. In Chhota Udepur, a quarrel between two customers over allegedly jumping the queue escalated into a scuffle at a petrol pump. Staff members and bystanders in Sankheda had to step in and separate the two before the situation worsened. Both men eventually left the spot.
