Petrol Bunks Flag Panic Buying After OMCs Ration Fuel Supplies
Some petroleum traders say their bunks are going dry with no availability or supply of fuels
Vijayawada: Petroleum traders in Andhra Pradesh have flagged panic buying of petrol and diesel by motorists, like the rush to book LPG cylinders, after Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) started rationing supply of fuels to fuel bunks from last week, though there has been no official communication in this regard.
The unofficial rationing is based on the average sales made by a particular outlet during the last six months.
The OMCs have asked petroleum traders not to sell fuel in bulk quantities for aqua culture of those operating heavy immovable machinery. With this, traders have ended up in a piquant situation. If they stop supplying bulk fuels, these customers may stop clearing their old dues, causing a financial strain on traders.
Some petroleum traders say their bunks are going dry with no availability or supply of fuels. Joint collectors and district civil supplies officers concerned do not seem to be bothered. In the past, these officials never allowed petrol bunks to dry out to avoid inconvenience to motorists.
In this regard, petroleum traders have appealed to the state government to intervene and direct district collectors to hold joint meetings with representatives of OMCs, petroleum traders and the concerned officials, so that there is no short supply of fuels to motorists in any area.
AP Federation of Petroleum Traders state general secretary P. Ravi Kumar said, “The OMCs had stopped supply of petrol and diesel on credit basis earlier. Now, they have started rationing supply of fuels. This may result in a short supply of fuels to motorists who, in turn, have started panic buying. State government should intervene immediately and ensure OMCs supply fuels as per demand at petrol bunks.”
- Petroleum traders observe that central government may not allow a rise in the price of fuels, as elections are to be held shortly in four states.
- Though India is getting regular supply of crude oil from Russia following the Middle East crisis, OMCs are still rationing the supply of fuels.
- Traders say their efforts to contact HPCL in Mumbai to express their concerns over latest developments have found no response.