Amid panic, T govt says state has abundant fuel and LPG stocks

Hyderabad: Telangana has enough petrol, diesel and LPG stocks to last the next three months with supply comfortably outpacing demand, civil supplies minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said on Wednesday, assuring the public that there was absolutely no need for panic buying.The minister's remarks came in the wake of unprecedented panic buying of petrol and diesel across fuel pumps in Hyderabad beginning on Tuesday afternoon. The scramble for fuel continued on Wednesday as well, with many pumps putting up ‘no stock' boards after running out of stock due to the sudden spike in demand. Motorists waited for hours to fill up their vehicles, fearing a shortage. Reiterating that there was no cause for worry, the minister said while daily demand suddenly spiked by 25% due to panic buying, supplies have been maintained at an above-average 22%, ensuring seamless availability."Supply is more than demand. We are providing excess supply," the minister told reporters on the assembly premises on Wednesday. "An additional 16,000 kilolitres (KL) of buffer stock has already been arranged, and 1,200 extra tankers have been pressed into service to keep fuel stations fully stocked. Any temporary ‘no-stock' boards visible at a few outlets were only because tankers had not yet arrived. There is no actual shortage of fuel," he clarified.Amid growing rumours of petrol, diesel and LPG shortages that triggered panic buying and long queues at fuel stations across Hyderabad, the state govt said oil marketing companies — Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) — have ramped up supplies significantly. On the day of the briefing, against a demand of 17,246 KL, the companies supplied 17,898 KL, an additional 652 KL.The govt has also taken note of the practice of filling petrol and diesel in cans, terming it not only illegal but also hazardous. "Officials are conducting inspections in the field. Use of containers will not be allowed. OMCs have been strictly instructed to stop this practice," the minister said. He appealed to the public not to indulge in panic buying, stating that all rumours of shortages have no basis.On the LPG front, the civil supplies minister clarified that domestic LPG cylinders are in abundant supply. While acknowledging a supply crunch of commercial LPG cylinders, the minister said the state govt was actively representing the matter to the Centre. In a related crackdown, authorities have seized 2,952 commercial cylinders being misused or illegally filled.He revealed that 596 petrol bunks are functioning in Hyderabad city alone. "All petrol outlets are open. No bunk is being allowed to close." He confirmed that officials inspected outlets in LB Nagar and Bhairamalguda and found them fully operational."Staff from the civil supplies department have been reaching out to every bunk, and dedicated control rooms are monitoring supplies round the clock in coordination with legal metrology, police and civil supplies officials," he said.He urged the people to stop rumour-mongering and avoid hoarding. "There is absolutely no need for panic. Petrol, diesel and domestic LPG are in abundant supply," he reiterated.