Replenishment delayed, few fuel pumps left high & dry

Nagpur: Stocks depleted to rock bottom at a number of petrol pumps in the city on Monday after replenishment was delayed from the oil companies' depots. Only a handful pumps ran completely dry, while many sold either petrol or diesel. Officials of the Federation of All Maharashtra Petrol Dealers Association (FAMPEDA) maintained that an extended weekend affected refilling.Nagpur gets its supply of fuel from BPCL depot at Borkhedi over 30 kms away, and from a facility of Nayara Energy at Wardha. There was a holiday on account of Maharashtra Day on May 1, followed by a Saturday, and again the depots were closed on Sunday. Refilling began on Monday night, and the situation would become normal on Tuesday, said a senior office-bearer of FAMPEDA.Sources said supply from the depots was sluggish during the entire last week. "Pumps sent frantic messages to the depots asking for fresh supplies, which were met with a lukewarm response," said a source requesting anonymity.Earlier, the pumps used to have enough stock even if refilling could not happen due to extended weekends. "Soon after the West Asia crisis, the oil companies stopped allowing credit to dealers. This in turn reduced the offtake, and many pumps have to manage with lesser stock, leading to risks of getting dry soon", explained a source.