LUCKNOW: The fuel situation in Uttar Pradesh is not a crisis of supply but one of sudden and excessive consumption, driven largely by rumours and misinformation. In Lucknow alone, daily fuel consumption on IOCL’s fuel stations jumped sharply between March 21 and March 25, rising from around 7.23 lakh litres per day to nearly 12.07 lakh litres. Officials and fuel dealers said this spike, triggered by panic buying, emptied retail tanks faster than usual and fuelled further rumours of shortage, creating a vicious cycle of rush and anxiety.
What began as scattered messages on social media soon escalated into a statewide rush, with motorists scrambling to fill their tanks amid fears of an impending fuel shortage. Long queues, anxious conversations and briefly dry fuel stations were reported on Thursday from several districts, including Lucknow, Ayodhya, Basti, Gonda and Prayagraj, despite repeated assurances from authorities that supplies remained normal.
In the state capital, queues of two-wheelers and cars were seen outside fuel stations in Aliganj, Gomti Nagar, Hazratganj, Telibagh, Ahmamau and Patrakarpuram, with waiting times stretching up to 30–40 minutes. In some locations, queues spilled onto main roads, leading to traffic congestion and disruptions during peak hours.By evening, local police in Lucknow also stpped in to calm public anxiety. Police patrol vehicles made announcements through loudspeakers in several neighbourhoods, urging residents not to panic-buy fuel and assuring them that petrol and diesel were available in sufficient quantities across the city.Lucknow District Magistrate Vishak G urged Lucknow residents to ignore rumours, stating there is no petrol or diesel shortage. “Supplies are stable, with no purchase limits imposed,” he added.According to Alok Trivedi, general secretary of the Lucknow Petrol Dealers Association, the situation was driven entirely by rumours. “Motorists are increasingly opting to fill their tanks to full capacity, which has sharply pushed up demand. Petrol pumps with an average storage capacity of 20,000 to 40,000 litres, which earlier lasted two to three days, are now running dry much sooner,” he said.At a privately owned BPCL fuel station near South City, fuel sales were halted by 1 pm on Thursday. An attendant said the last tanker had arrived three days ago, though advance payments had already been made for replenishment from the Kanpur depot.Despite these local disruptions, state-level coordinator Sanjay Bhandari maintained that there was no fuel shortage.He said Uttar Pradesh’s 13,168 petrol pumps currently have sufficient reserves, with a total availability of around 20 to 22 days. Retail outlets have an average of five days of stock, while oil company depots hold an additional 16–17 days.Bhandari also acknowledged a nearly 30% rise in fuel demand over the past three days due to panic buying.Data shows that in Uttar Pradesh, petrol consumption rose from an average of 1.7 crore litres per day till March 22 to 2.2 crore litres on March 25, while diesel consumption increased from 3.1 to 4 crore litres per day over the same period.Lucknow Petrol Dealers Association chairman Virendra Pratap Singh said the supply mechanism has changed since the West Asia conflict. “Earlier, tankers were dispatched proactively. Now, stations are supplied against credit limits or advance payments,” he said.Bhandari clarified that once an indent is placed, fuel is supplied within three days of payment, and oil marketing companies are trying to supply up to 2.5 times the usual volume to meet the sudden spike.Many consumers admitted the rush was fear-driven. “I saw WhatsApp messages warning of shortages. I didn’t want to risk it,” said Rajeev Verma in Gomti Nagar. Others, like delivery drivers and commuters, complained that panic buying by some inconvenienced those who genuinely needed fuel.Ranjeet Kumar, the president of UP Petrol Dealers Association urged that “People should not to believe unverified information, and insisted that supplies from IOCL, HPCL and BPCL remain smooth and the situation of fuel supply is normal in Uttar Pradesh.”
