Thousands of Motorists Throng Fuel Outlets Fearing Petrol, Diesel Shortage in AP
Amaravati: Thousands of motorists thronged fuel outlets in Andhra Pradesh on Monday despite assurances from the government that “there will be no shortage of petrol and diesel”. A large number of two-wheelers, cars, trucks and other vehicles were seen lining up outside a petrol pump in Rajahmundry. People were also seen carrying plastic containers to buy petrol and diesel.
At a petrol depot in Auto Nagar in Vijayawada, similar scenes were played out with several vehicles lined up. The situation was the same at all petrol pumps in and around Vijayawada’s Ajit Singh Nagar on Sunday afternoon.
Gopala Krishna, member of the fuel retailers association in Guntur, said the crisis has spread across the state. “This is the situation not only in Guntur but also across the state. We are receiving information from our dealers that diesel is out of stock everywhere,” he told reporters.
“We are expecting that 70 to 80 per cent of oil bunks will get fuel by tomorrow (April 28), he said, claiming that last week oil companies were intent on giving less fuel to dealers and stopped diesel supply, which led to this crisis.”
People are thronging to bunks where fuel is available, he said, and appealed to consumers not to panic or hoard fuel. He claimed that all gas tanks will be supplied with fuel and everything will return to normal in a few days.
Meanwhile, Polavaram district collector Dinesh Kumar issued a statement saying “supply of petrol and diesel is normal”. “There is no fuel shortage. People need not panic,” Kumar said in his official statement.
He advised people not to resort to unnecessary bulk purchases of fuel and called on them to provide information in case of shortage. Meanwhile, Transport Minister M Ram Prasad Reddy has instructed officials to ensure that transport services are not affected even if there is temporary disruption in the supply of petrol and diesel.
Calling on transportation services to be careful, the minister said people should not be disturbed. “All transport services must take immediate steps to prevent inconvenience to passengers across the state,” he said, calling for alternative arrangements to be made if necessary.
Taking into account people’s needs, buses and other transportation vehicles must be operated indefinitely in coordination with the transportation department and private operators. He also warned that serious sanctions would be imposed in case of any negligence and asked people to cooperate.
