HYDERABAD: Panic buying of fuel continued for a second consecutive day, with long queues at petrol bunks causing traffic gridlocks across several areas. Some outlets were forced to shut overnight after running out of stock, with dealers saying fresh supplies had not arrived despite advance payments made two days earlier.
A commuter, Meet, said, “I waited for half an hour in the queue to refill my vehicle and as soon as it was my turn, they said it was out of stock.” Similar scenes were reported across the city on Tuesday, with queues stretching upto 1 km.
Petrol bunk owners said stocks meant to last two days were exhausted within nine hours on Monday. “I received 14,000 litres of petrol on Monday morning, which got over by 7 pm. This usually lasts at least two days, but panic buying drained it in nine to 10 hours,” Nirmal, a petrol bunk owner in Tirumalagiri, told TNIE.
The rush followed reports of fuel shortages in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, leading to a spillover effect in Telangana border districts such as Khammam. Similar pressure was seen in Nirmal, bordering Maharashtra. Officials said widespread media coverage of shortages triggered panic among consumers.
Speculation about a possible post-election price hike also prompted many to stock up. Additionally, a recent revision raised industrial and commercial diesel prices to Rs 150 per litre from April 16, while retail diesel remained around Rs 95 per litre. This price gap led bulk users to shift to retail outlets, further straining supplies.
Telangana Petroleum Dealers Association general secretary Vinod Vishwanath told TNIE that the situation was improving. “Around 40% of petrol bunks were shut on Monday, which dropped to 15–20% by Tuesday afternoon as supplies resumed. The situation is likely to normalise by Tuesday night,” he said.