Gariyaband caps fuel sales as panic buying grips state

Raipur: Panic buying amid rumours of fuel shortage triggered long queues at petrol pumps across parts of Chhattisgarh on consecutive second day on Friday, prompting the Gariyaband administration to cap fuel sales and ban filling petrol or diesel in drums, bottles and jerry cans.

Gariyaband collector Bhagwan Singh Uikey issued an order limiting fuel purchase to Rs 300 for two-wheelers and Rs 1,000 for four-wheelers to prevent hoarding and black marketing. Petrol pump operators were warned of strict action if found violating the order.

At several places in Raipur, people were seen carrying containers to stock fuel, leading to chaotic scenes and unusually high consumption.

Speaking to TOI, Raipur collector Gaurav Singh said the situation was driven largely by panic buying and not an actual shortage.

“There is no dry-like situation. In the last three days, random buying has increased sharply. Vehicles that usually take two litres are now being filled with 30-40 litres. We are hoping the situation will stabilise by Saturday,” he said.

The collector said fuel refill tankers were allowed to move round the clock on Thursday to speed up replenishment. “Raipur is not a small transit point. Highways converge here and supply pressure is high, hence no capping can be done here as of now. At many places, tankers are unable to enter pumps because of the rush,” he said.

To manage distribution, authorities have started splitting tanker deliveries across multiple outlets. “Instead of unloading an entire tanker at one pump, we are distributing fuel chamber-wise across several pumps so that more outlets remain functional,” Singh added.