Hyderabad: For the second time in as many months, rumours of fuel shortage triggered panic buying across the city on Monday, leading to long queues, traffic congestion and tense scenes at several petrol pumps. Fuel bunks in areas including Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Begumpet, Sri Nagar Colony, Irrum Manzil, Khairtabad, Alwal, Trimulgherry, Rajendranagar, Nampally, Mehdipatnam and parts of the Old City witnessed heavy crowds. The sudden surge in demand forced several pumps to temporarily run out of stock, displaying ‘no fuel’ boards.B Harikrishna, a commuter waiting at Narayanguda, said he had to visit multiple fuel stations before finding one with supply. “After seeing videos online, I rushed out. Sultan Bazar was overcrowded, and Bagh Lingampally had no fuel, so I came to Rasoolpura. I got stuck during my lunch break. I can’t afford delays at work, but the rush made me think petrol might actually run out,” he said.Another commuter, Ayesha Khan, who was caught in a queue at Mehdipatnam, said the panic spread quickly. “Everyone around me was saying fuel would be unavailable by evening. I didn’t want to take a risk because I use my vehicle daily for work. But after standing for nearly an hour, I realised it was more fear than reality,” she said.However, by evening, the Telangana civil supplies department issued a clarification, assuring that there is no shortage of petrol or diesel in the state. Officials stated that supply remains steady and sufficient to meet regular demand across transport, agriculture and other sectors. “Telangana currently holds ample stock of fuel. We are working closely with oil marketing companies to ensure uninterrupted distribution. As per the latest data till 4 pm, the state received 7,443 kilolitres of petrol and 11,081 kilolitres of diesel, totalling 18,524 kilolitres,” the department said, urging citizens not to fall for misinformation circulating on social media.Meanwhile, fuel dealers attributed the sudden rush to panic buying rather than any actual disruption. They said the situation was worsened by weekend-related logistical and financial constraints. Vinod Vishwanath, general secretary of the Telangana Petroleum Dealers Association, said demand surged sharply due to rumours. “There was no major disruption earlier, but panic buying pushed sales beyond normal levels. The weekend also affected stock movement and payments, while recent supplies from companies have been slightly inconsistent,” he added.Rajiv Amaram, joint secretary (south) of the Consortium of Indian Petroleum Dealers (CIPD), added that such situations are common during extended weekends. “With the fourth Saturday bank holiday followed by Sunday, dealers often face temporary cash flow issues. Oil companies are not extending credit, making it difficult to meet sudden spikes in demand. Additionally, around the financial year-end and early April, liquidity tightens, slowing payments and affecting stock rotation,” he said, adding that the situation is likely to stabilise by Tuesday afternoon.
