Srinagar: After seeing a significant surge of customers following rumours of petrol scarcity, several fuel refilling stations in Kashmir ran out of fuel on Tuesday.
However, the Divisional Administration denied any scarcity of petrol, and officials from the Food Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department asserted that there was sufficient petrol availability to cover demand for the next 21 days.
A stretch of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway has been washed away near Ramban due to landslides which have fueled speculations of fuel shortage in the valley. Heavy trucks were still barred from moving towards Kashmir through the surface route. Petroleum retailers claim that approximately 600 fuel tankers are stuck along the National Highway.
This led to rumours of a petrol shortage and people thronged petrol refilling stations around the valley for the past three days. Though several petrol dealers said their pumps were out of petrol and could only dispense diesel.
A resident of Srinagar's Ellahi Bagh area, Ajaz Ahmad said he visited a number of filling stations but was unable to fill up his vehicle. "Although there was a massive crowd at a filling station last night, I chose to ignore the reports of petrol scarcity. I went back since it was late and there was a large line. Petrol isn't available right now at many petrol refill stations in Srinagar," he said.
According to a representative of oil dealers, panic purchasing in the market has exacerbated the issue, causing one client who typically fills up his car with Rs 1000 of petrol to quadruple his allotment. "Additionally, more than 600 fuel-filled tankers that were stalled on the national highway have yet to be allowed to move towards Kashmir by the authorities."
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri said “There is no need to panic. We have an adequate supply of essential commodities here."
Director FS&CA, Riyaz Ahmad told Greater Kashmir that In Kashmir, "there is a sufficient quantity of petrol that can last up to 21 days." He advised against panicking and buying petrol in a fit of hysteria, which would cause issues for others.
