Hyderabad: Fuel Supply Stabilises After Panic Buying

Hyderabad: The city heaved a sigh of relief on Friday after three days of high drama at petrol pumps, where long queues of vehicles had formed due to panic buying. The rush began on Tuesday and continued for two days, forcing pumps to impose limits on fuel sales — Rs 300 for scooters, Rs 500 for bikes, and Rs 1,500–Rs 2,000 for cars.

By Friday, the situation eased. “There were fewer customers than usual today. This is because people filled up with excess fuel in the past two days. Usage will remain the same,” said Satyanarayana, manager of a petrol pump in Secunderabad.

Officials said the sudden surge in demand prompted the Consumer Affairs, Food and Civil Supplies Department to supply additional fuel. Between Wednesday and Thursday morning, petrol supply was 84 per cent higher than the daily average, while diesel supply rose by 67 per cent.

Civil supplies commissioner Stephen Raveendra reported: “On Friday morning, the average daily supply of petrol is 5,883 kilolitres. On Thursday, 16,609 kilolitres were supplied — 182 per cent more. For diesel, the daily average is 7,348 kilolitres, but 19,580 kilolitres were supplied on Thursday, which is 167 per cent more.”