Ahmedabad: Petrol sales in the state more than doubled in a single day on Monday, driven by panic refuelling triggered by rumours of a shortage. The rush spilled over into Tuesday as well. While queues shortened marginally through the day, most petrol pumps continued to witness heavy footfall.Estimates by oil companies suggest that on March 23, fuel sales remained normal through the morning before surging sharply after 2pm. State-wide petrol sales rose to 17,798 kilolitres (kl) against an average daily sale of 8,150 kl, an increase of 118%, while diesel sales increased to 26,935 kl compared to the usual 16,120 kl, an increase of 67%. In Ahmedabad, major rush was reported at fuel stations in Gulbai Tekra, Shivranjini, Jodhpur, Anandnagar Road, Prernatirth Derasar Road, Mithakhali, Prahladnagar and Navrangpura, among others, throughout Tuesday as well. Though the intensity of queues reduced on Tuesday, the rush had not fully subsided, with serpentine queues forming outside petrol pumps.“Having made two trips to a fuel station near my office in Ambawadi, I ended up waiting almost 40 minutes to refuel my car. I had no intention of going to the fuel station during such rush hours, but due to a few work trips during the day, my car ran out of fuel, and I had no choice,” said Bankim Banerjee, a professional.The frenzied buying also led to major traffic snarls across several road stretches with fuel stations. At the outlet level, the spike was even sharper. Several petrol pumps reported sales of four to five times their daily average volumes. “The majority of customers are asking for full-tank refills, anticipating an impending shortage purely based on rumours. The staff is hassled as a result. If this continues, any petrol pump could run dry, which may further fuel panic,” said Padmajay Rathod, a petroleum dealer from Ahmedabad.Public sector oil companies also reiterated that supply remains robust. “Our average daily petrol sale in Gujarat is 3,000 kilolitres per day. But on Monday, our fuel stations across the state sold 7,917 kilolitres of petrol as the demand suddenly shot up due to the rumours of fuel shortage,” said Sanjib Kumar Behera, executive director and state head of state-level coordination committee for PSU oil companies in Gujarat. “There is adequate pipeline stock, and refineries are operating at full capacity. Our staff are working round the clock to ensure uninterrupted supply and to reassure consumers that there is no shortage,” Behera added. Industry officials said the surge was entirely driven by precautionary buying, warning that such behaviour — rather than any real supply constraint — risks creating temporary localized shortages.Other cities continue to see rushTushar.TereVadodara/Rajkot: Serpentine queues of vehicles and impatient honking were commonplace across Vadodara on Tuesday as panic buying of fuel continued for the second consecutive day despite repeated assurances from the govt.Even as the district administration urged people not to panic, crowds continued to throng fuel stations. At some pumps, attendants were forced to ration supply.Queues began swelling late on Monday night itself. By Tuesday morning, office-goers once again crowded pumps.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.In Rajkot, the rush eased compared to Monday, though many fuel stations continued to witness queues and heavy sales.(with inputs from Tejaswini Kumawat)
