Police fan out across city as fuel rumours trigger rush

Ahmedabad: As rumours of a fuel shortage led to long queues outside petrol pumps across the city on Monday, police intensified deployment and patrolling to manage crowds and prevent any untoward incidents.City police commissioner G S Malik said police personnel would remain deployed outside all petrol pumps following reports of panic among residents. "Our police inspectors, ACPs of respective divisions, and deputy police commissioners of all zones are patrolling outside petrol pumps to manage the crowd. The situation is expected to normalise soon. However, we will continue patrolling and maintain bandobast at all petrol pumps as a precautionary measure," Malik said.A senior police officer, meanwhile, maintained that adequate arrangements have been made. "Cops are closely monitoring the situation," he said.According to traffic police sources, long queues of vehicles were reported in areas such as Sarkhej, Makarba, Vejalpur, Prahladnagar, Ranip, Satellite, Panjrapol, Paldi, Vasna, Narol, Danilimda, Rakhiyal, Odhav, Chandkheda and Sabarmati, among others.At some locations, queues stretched up to a kilometre, with motorists waiting nearly an hour to refuel. The sudden surge in demand disrupted traffic flow, with vehicles spilling onto main roads and causing bottlenecks.Police personnel deployed at petrol pumps were seen appealing to citizens to avoid panic buying and assuring them that fuel stocks were adequate and supply would not be disrupted.Police officials said the situation remained under control, though higher deployment would continue until public anxiety subsides.