Fuel panic continues in Hyderabad as long queues persist for third day

Motorists continued to queue at fuel stations for the third consecutive day amid rumours of a shortage, despite official assurances of adequate supply. Panic buying and public scepticism have led to long lines and temporary closures at some outlets.

Hyderabad: Despite the civil supplies department assuring citizens of adequate stocks, for the third straight day, motorists braving the scorching sun lined up at the fuel stations on Tuesday.

S ince morning, long queues were witnessed at fuel stations due to panic buying following rumours of fuel shortage. The situation was the same across all the fuel stations that were operational, while at some places the management shut down the fuel stations, citing no stock.

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“Yesterday, believing the authorities, I postponed my plan to get fuel refilled in the tank to Tuesday. ” This morning, again there was a big queue and, not wanting to take a risk, I waited for half an hour and got the tank filled,” said K Venkateshwar, a civil contractor.

The police had made arrangements at the fuel stations to prevent any untoward incident as frustrated citizens had been lining up since morning.

“There is stock, but people are not willing to believe us. A majority of the customers got Rs 500 worth of fuel filled in the vehicle tank, motorcycles, while car owners are preferring to get the full tank filled,” said Mohd Amair, a cashier at a fuel station.

The civil supplies department is releasing statistics to put down the rumours and convince people that there is an adequate stock of fuel. However, there seem to be not many takers for the official version.