Panic buying fueled by rumors of a fuel shortage caused long queues at petrol pumps across parts of Chhattisgarh for the second consecutive day on Friday. The Gariyaband administration responded by capping fuel sales and banning the filling of petrol or diesel in drums, bottles, and jerry cans.
Gariyaband Imposes Fuel Purchase Limits
Gariyaband Collector Bhagwan Singh Uikey issued an order limiting fuel purchases to Rs 300 for two-wheelers and Rs 1,000 for four-wheelers to prevent hoarding and black marketing. Petrol pump operators were warned of strict action if found violating the order.
Chaotic Scenes in Raipur
At several locations in Raipur, people were seen carrying containers to stock fuel, leading to chaotic scenes and unusually high consumption. Speaking to TOI, Raipur Collector Gaurav Singh attributed the situation to panic buying rather than an actual shortage.
“There is no dry-like situation. In the last three days, random buying has increased sharply. Vehicles that usually take two litres are now being filled with 30-40 litres. We are hoping the situation will stabilise by Saturday,” he said.
Measures to Ease Supply
The collector said fuel refill tankers were allowed to move round the clock on Thursday to speed up replenishment. “Raipur is not a small transit point. Highways converge here and supply pressure is high, hence no capping can be done here as of now. At many places, tankers are unable to enter pumps because of the rush,” he added.
To manage distribution, authorities have started splitting tanker deliveries across multiple outlets. “Instead of unloading an entire tanker at one pump, we are distributing fuel chamber-wise across several pumps so that more outlets remain functional,” Singh explained.
The situation remains tense, but officials are confident that supply will normalize soon. Meanwhile, residents are advised to avoid panic buying and adhere to purchase limits where imposed.
