HYDERABAD: Panic buying set in among auto-rickshaw drivers in Hyderabad on Wednesday, with long queues forming outside CNG stations amid concerns that the disruption in LPG supply could extend to CNG supplies.
Since early morning, dozens of drivers were seen waiting at CNG dispensing points at petrol bunks across the city. Many said the sudden rush had increased waiting times, forcing them to spend hours in queues to refill their vehicles.
“We have been seeing unusually long lines since the morning,” a staff member at a Bhagyanagar Gas Limited station told TNIE. “People are trying to refill CNG in advance. As of now, we still have stock that can last three to four days, but if demand continues at this level, supplies could be exhausted much sooner,” he added.
Meanwhile, auto drivers are appealing to the public to voluntarily pay Rs 20 to Rs 30 extra per ride, saying they are struggling after the CNG price rose from around Rs 70 in December 2025 to between Rs 95 and Rs 97 as of Wednesday.
“We cannot take chances,” said Mohammed Rauf, an auto-rickshaw driver waiting in line at a petrol bunk in Khairatabad. “Our entire daily income depends on our vehicle running throughout the day. If fuel runs out, we have no way to earn.”
Fuel station operators told this newspaper that if fresh supplies do not arrive in the next few days, they may be forced to temporarily suspend CNG distribution.
CNG stations in city face delays
Hyderabad has about 70 CNG stations and nearly one lakh CNG vehicles plying on its roads. The city’s daily CNG consumption is around 2.1 lakh kg.
Meanwhile, a CNG station at Abids had remained shut since Wednesday morning. Station manager Sampath told TNIE, “We were supposed to receive stock in the morning.
But now we are told we will receive it by the evening or night. This is forcing us to keep the station shut and leading to losses. If demand keeps increasing and we do not receive new stock in time, we might have to stop dispensing CNG until supplies are replenished.”
State to buy only EVs from now on
Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday instructed officials to ensure all departments purchase, or lease where required, only electric vehicles (EVs) henceforth. He also asked officials to prepare plans for a modern bus terminal near the proposed high-speed rail corridor hub in the vicinity of the RGIA, Shamshabad.