Maharashtra Restricts Bulk Consumers At Retail Pumps
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has restricted the sale of diesel at retail fuel stations to 200 liters per vehicle per day and banned industrial, commercial and institutional consumers from purchasing fuel from these outlets, citing concerns over possible fuel supply disruptions arising from evolving global geopolitical tensions.
The Food and Civil Supplies Department issued an order on Friday, stating that the restrictions are aimed at preventing hoarding, black marketing and diversion of fuel, and ensuring that stocks of gasoline and diesel remain adequate across the state. The move follows a communication from the Center regarding the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel (Interim Regulation of Supply through Retail Outlets) Order, 2026.
Ordinary consumers will be allowed to purchase a maximum of 200 liters of diesel per day from any petrol pump, a senior official from the Food and Civil Supplies Department said.
Motor Spirit (petrol) and High Speed Diesel (diesel) sales have increased unusually during the ongoing planting season, leading the government to impose a cap on diesel sales, officials said.
According to the decision, corporate, industrial and commercial consumers were banned from purchasing petrol or diesel from retail outlets and had to procure fuel from pumps meant for bulk consumers only. Retail outlets have also been instructed to dispense petrol and diesel only in vehicle fuel tanks or containers approved by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO). The instruction states, “The sale of diesel fuel cannot exceed 200 liters per customer per vehicle per day. In addition, the resale of this type of diesel is prohibited.”
The order mandates Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and retail dealers to strictly comply with the restrictions. “The regional and divisional offices of the relevant Petroleum Marketing Companies shall immediately communicate the provisions of this order to all retail (petrol pump) dealers within their jurisdiction and ensure that the above conditions are duly complied with. If any violation of this order is detected, action will be taken against the persons concerned in accordance with the provisions of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel (Supply, Distribution and Prevention of Bad Practices Regulations) 2005.” The decision states that a report of such action will be submitted to the ministry.
Officials maintained that there are sufficient stocks of petroleum products in Maharashtra and there is no immediate concern over fuel availability. As of June 13, 2026, the state has a stock of 4,64,426 kiloliters of gasoline, 9,38,374 kiloliters of diesel and 67,728 metric tons of LPG.
