“Normally, it takes about five minutes to get petrol, but today I have been waiting for nearly half an hour. I came here after seeing posts about a fuel shortage on social media,” said A Narendra, who was waiting at a petrol bunk in Sri Nagar Colony.Another customer, A Abdulla, said some people were also filling fuel in plastic bottles and fuel containers along with their vehicles. “That could be one reason for the long waiting time. Staff should prioritise vehicles first,” he added.With a sudden surge in demand, several petrol pumps ran out of fuel and put up ‘no stock’ boards. Some stations also started rationing fuel, limiting sales to `150–`200 for two-wheelers. Petrol pump staff used ropes and barricades to control crowds, but tensions rose as some motorists tried to jump queues.Mohd Umar, a petrol pump manager, said the weekend gaps, along with unprecedented demand, disrupted restocking cycles. “Our last stock came on Monday night, but by Tuesday evening, it ran out, much before the next delivery. Usually, we sell about 10,000 litres to 12,000 litres a day, but today we already sold 13,000 litres by 6 pm. We are waiting for the stock to arrive tonight, but uncertainty is there,” he said.Another pump manager said that missed advance payments over the weekend led to some petrol pumps not receiving enough fuel deliveries. “The temporary closures may have triggered rumours, which then led to panic buying,” he added.
