Fuel supplies increased to curb panic buying in Telangana

The Telangana Civil Supplies Department has increased fuel supply by 126 per cent to tackle panic buying and cross-border demand. Officials said strict monitoring and emergency measures are in place to ensure uninterrupted fuel access, especially for farmers.

Hyderabad: The Telangana Civil Supplies Department officials, to ensure uninterrupted access to fuel, have increased statewide petroleum supplies by 126 per cent since Sunday.

“This quick and decisive action was taken to stabilise local fuel stations that are currently facing strain from a sudden and unusually high demand,” said Stephen Raveendra, Commissioner, Civil Supplies Department.

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The unexpected rush at local fuel pumps was being driven by a combination of three major factors, he said. First, following a recent price revision that raised industrial diesel to Rs. 150 per litre, bulk commercial buyers are exploiting the system by filling up at regular public fuel stations, where the price is still capped at Rs. 95 per litre.

Second, supply issues in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra have caused heavy cross-border traffic, with out-of-state buyers flocking to Telangana border districts like Khammam and Nirmal to purchase fuel.

The last is that false rumours regarding upcoming post-election price hikes have caused the general public to unnecessarily panic buy and hoard fuel, rapidly depleting local reserves.

“The department issued emergency orders to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to effectively flood the market with fuel. To front-load the supply chain, OMCs are taking advance indents from dealers and have deployed a massive fleet of 3,100 fuel tankers across the State,” said the official.

To ensure these stocks reach the pumps before they run dry, the department has escalated its oversight, mandating ground-level stock reports from all retail outlets every three hours.

Also, the situation is being monitored daily through teleconferences, with strict directives to ensure that farmers have uninterrupted access to fuel, so that crucial harvesting and paddy procurement operations are not delayed, he added.