Gandhinagar, March 23 The Gujarat government on Monday asserted that there was no shortage of petrol and diesel in the state, even in the wake of the West Asian conflict, as rumors of scarcity triggered panic buying and led to long queues at fuel stations in several areas of the state.
Speaking to reporters here, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi clarified that sufficient quantities of fuel were available in the state and appealed to citizens not to panic.
Sanghavi insisted that there was no shortage of petrol or diesel in the state and appealed to citizens to refrain from believing or spreading misinformation circulating on social media about the fuel situation, in the backdrop of the US-Israel war on Iran, which has caused a severe global fuel supply crisis.
"Sufficient quantities of petrol and diesel were available in the state. Citizens do not need to panic over rumors. There was no need to hoard fuel," he said, adding that Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is personally reviewing the situation every two days to ensure smooth fuel supply.
The Deputy Chief Minister informed that an important meeting was held under Patel's chairmanship earlier in the day to assess the current fuel availability and streamline supply mechanisms.
He noted that continuous monitoring was being undertaken to ensure uninterrupted fuel distribution at petrol pumps across the state.
"If there is any technical or logistical issue in supply anywhere, it will be immediately identified and resolved," Sanghavi assured, stressing a system has been put in place to respond promptly to any reports of a fuel shortage or rumor-mongering.
He urged people not to indulge in panic buying or hoarding, reiterating that the fuel supply system in Gujarat remains stable and was being closely monitored by authorities.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Gujarat Petroleum Dealers Association also dismissed rumors of a fuel shortage and attributed the rush at petrol pumps to panic among consumers.
Association president Arvind Thakkar said long queues of motorists were observed at several petrol pumps in Ahmedabad on Monday due to rumors, even though there was no disruption in supply from oil companies.
"For the last four to five hours, queues were witnessed at petrol pumps in Ahmedabad. This was due to rumors. There was no problem from the government's side or oil companies regarding supply. We are receiving as much petrol and diesel as required," Thakkar affirmed.
He clarified that no instructions have been issued either by the government or oil companies to restrict fuel sales or supply in smaller quantities to customers.
Thakkar pointed out that Ahmedabad has around 210 petrol pumps, and the situation escalated after a handful of the outlets – three to four – temporarily ran out of stock, leading to panic and a surge in demand.
"Because a few petrol pumps ran out of petrol, panic spread among people. But there was no shortage," he claimed, appealing to citizens to remain calm.
He urged people to cooperate with petrol pump operators and not to believe in unverified information circulating on social media.
Long queues of vehicles were seen at many filling stations in Vadodara and Ahmedabad after rumors of a shortage of petrol and diesel spread.
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