Citizens hoard fuel amid fears of shortage; private transport vehicles takes the lead in filling up their tanks
Vaibhav Parwat
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar : Fearing a fuel shortage due to a nationwide truck drivers strike against a new motor vehicle law, fuel pumps in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district witnessed a surge in petrol and diesel sales on January 1 and 2. Though the strike was called off within days, the panic buying led to long queues at petrol pumps and a massive Rs 5.69 crore increase in revenue compared to daily averages.
According to reports, petrol pump operators across the city and district observed a three-fold increase in sales over the two days. In the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, comprising 200 petrol pumps, the average daily petrol sales of 60,000-65,000 liters jumped to 1,85,000-1,90,000 liters, while diesel sales skyrocketed from 1.2 lakh liters to 3.9 lakh liters. This translated to an additional revenue of Rs 2.5 crore for petrol and Rs 3.66 crore for diesel. Petrol and diesel prices per litre during this period stood at Rs 107.29 and Rs 93.63, respectively.
Tanks filled up to brim
Fueled by rumors of a prolonged strike, long queues of vehicles were formed at petrol pumps in the city and in the district to fill up with petrol and diesel. A person who fills Rs 100 worth of petrol, fills the vehicle with Rs 500 to Rs 1000 worth of petrol in these two days. Sources of fuel supplier companies said that at present there is sufficient stock of petrol and diesel everywhere in the district.
Fuel sales in the city:
Average sale of fuel Sale on Jan 1 Jan 2
Petrol 4500 15000 20000
Diesel 3500 17000 19000
Transport vehicles takes the lead
According to fuel pump owners, vehicles taking the lead in panic buying were the transport vehicles, including cars and private travel buses to ensure smooth operations for longer journeys.