‘Fuel supply hiccups temporary’: Gujarat govt rules out shortage ​

Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar, March 23 (IANS) Fuel supply in parts of Gujarat is expected to stabilise within the next one to two days, officials said on Monday, even as the state government and oil companies reiterated that there is no overall shortage of petrol and diesel.​

The assurance comes after concerns over availability led to queues at some petrol pumps in parts of the state, with dealers attributing temporary disruptions to operational factors rather than any systemic shortage.​

Tansukh Parmar, Treasurer of the Federation of Gujarat Petroleum Dealers Association, said recent issues stemmed from financial and technical constraints.​

“Companies have abruptly removed the credit limits previously available to all dealers, and each dealer’s financial capacity varies. Additionally, due to technical issues on Friday and during the weekend, petrol and diesel stocks ran low at several pumps. However, fuel supply is expected to normalise in the next one to two days,” he said.​

Alongside this, the state government, Indian Oil Corporation, and petroleum dealers said sufficient fuel stocks are available across the state and urged citizens not to panic or rely on unverified information.​

Additional Chief Secretary of the Food and Civil Supplies Department, Mona Khandhar, said all petrol pumps have adequate stock in line with requirements.​

“The state has a sufficient buffer stock of fuel. Citizens need not form long queues or panic,” she said, adding that reports of shortages in certain areas were rumours.​

She also warned of strict legal action against any dealer found deliberately keeping pumps closed despite having stock or causing inconvenience to the public.​

Indian Oil Corporation’s State Nodal Officer and Executive Director, Sanjeev Behera, said supply remains stable at the infrastructure level.​

“All petrol pumps in Gujarat have adequate stock. Our depots and terminals also have sufficient inventory. There is sufficient buffer stock, and there is no panic. I request citizens to visit petrol pumps if needed, but there is no need to stand in queues,” he said.​

The Petroleum Dealers Association of India said oil companies have increased supply hours and augmented stock levels, and advised people not to crowd petrol pumps due to misleading social media messages.​

Meanwhile, localised disruptions were reported in Ahmedabad, including Helmet Circle, Memnagar, Shivranjani, and Bopal, where some outlets faced low stock due to the withdrawal of credit facilities and technical issues.​

Authorities and industry representatives said these disruptions are temporary and supply is being restored.​

--IANS

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