Stocks of petrol, diesel adequate; ignore rumours: Gujarat govt

Gandhinagar: Even as citizens scrambled at fuel stations to refill their vehicles with petrol and diesel, the state govt on Monday said that there are adequate stocks of petrol and diesel and urged people to stay away from rumours.After a meeting with officials of the concerned departments, deputy chief minister Harsh Sanghavi clarified that there is no shortage of petrol and diesel in the state. "The CM has been reviewing the fuel stock situation every two days, and citizens should not worry about a shortage of fuel. People are urged not to believe or spread false information about the fuel stock situation," he said, adding that there is no need for the public to hoard fuel or panic.Sanghavi added that continuous reviews are being conducted to ensure that all petrol pumps in the state receive fuel regularly. If there are any technical or other issues in the supply, they will be addressed immediately, he added. The deputy CM cautioned that officials will take action against those found spreading false information about the shortage of petrol and diesel.In a separate statement, the additional chief secretary of the food and civil supplies department, Mona Khandhar, also urged people to stay away from rumours, insisting that there are adequate stocks of petrol and diesel in the state. "There is no need for long queues at petrol pumps, sufficient buffer stock is available in the state," an official statement quoted the official as saying.Amid rumours of petrol and diesel shortages in some cities of Gujarat, the state govt, Indian Oil Corporation, and Petroleum Dealers' Association issued a joint statement assuring the public that there is an adequate supply of petrol and diesel in the state.Khandhar said that if any dealer deliberately keeps the pump closed despite having stock or harasses the public, strict legal action will be taken against him.Quoting Sanjib Kumar Behera, state nodal officer and executive director of Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), the statement said that all petrol and diesel depots and terminals in Gujarat have adequate inventory, and citizens do not need to line up at petrol pumps and can get fuel whenever needed.