Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, and Panaji: Despite government assurances, panic buying has led to long queues at petrol pumps across several states, with some outlets resorting to rationing amid concerns over supplies linked to the ongoing West Asia crisis.
The central government has stated that India has about 60 days of fuel stock cover and dismissed reports of shortages as a “deliberate misinformation campaign” aimed at triggering panic buying.
In Gujarat, long queues were reported from cities such as Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, and Gandhinagar, with the state government saying fuel sales have surged four to five times since Monday.
Some fuel pump owners have capped sales at ₹200 for two-wheelers and ₹2,000 for four-wheelers, while others have shut temporarily after running out of stock.
Dealers appealed to people not to panic, and police have booked a petrol pump owner for allegedly spreading misinformation on social media about a fuel shortage.
Similar scenes were reported in Kashmir, where a heavy rush was reported at petrol pumps across Srinagar and other parts of the Valley, with people queuing up with vehicles, cans, and bottles.
Several fuel stations shut after running dry, and a petrol pump owner in Ganderbal district said people were “unnecessarily creating panic”, forcing many stations to shut early.
In Karnataka, the situation remained largely normal in Bengaluru, though shortages were reported from smaller towns such as Yadgir, Belagavi, and the Hubballi-Dharwad region.
In Goa, long queues were seen outside petrol pumps and LPG agencies, forcing some stations to shut temporarily to replenish stocks.
Meanwhile, in Meghalaya, a community kitchen shut for the first time in years due to an acute LPG shortage, and in Odisha, subsidised food canteens have curtailed cooking to conserve LPG.
Long queues at petrol pumps were also reported from select centres in Uttar Pradesh, with several pumps in Lucknow running dry.
