Lakhimpur Kheri , Panic buying of petrol and diesel triggered by rumours of a price hike disrupted fuel distribution in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district, though stocks remained adequate, officials said on Friday.
District Magistrate Anjani Kumar Singh said the rush was caused by a rumour about a possible increase in fuel prices, leading to a sudden spike in demand across the rural and urban areas.
“Consumers rushed to petrol pumps in view of the panic, which led to temporary shortage at some outlets,” Singh told reporters, urging people not to believe in rumours and purchase fuel only when required.
The officials said three petrol pumps in the district went dry on Wednesday after their daily stocks were exhausted within hours due to the surge in demand.
However, supplies were replenished by Thursday evening, and the outlets became operational again by Friday, they said.
In rural tehsils such as Nighasan, Dhaurahra and Gola, diesel demand rose sharply, while petrol sales exceeded normal levels in the urban areas.
To manage the situation, several petrol pumps imposed caps on fuel sales – ₹100 to ₹200 worth of petrol for two-wheelers and ₹500 to ₹1,000 worth of diesel per four-wheeler.
District supply officer Anjani Kumar Singh said that as of Friday, 285 petrol pumps in the district had 2,141 kilolitres of diesel and 1,575 kilolitres of petrol in stock.
On Thursday, sales stood at 795.54 kilolitres of diesel and 383.58 kilolitres of petrol, he added.
Additional supplies were likely to be delivered by Friday evening, Singh said, assuring that there was no shortage of fuel.
“There is no need for panic buying. The administration is closely monitoring the situation,” the DSO said.
Coordination with oil marketing companies was being maintained to ensure uninterrupted supply, while field officials have been deployed to oversee smooth distribution of fuel, he added.
Meanwhile, the president of the Kheri Petroleum Dealers Association, Abhishek Dixit, said while petrol pumps had sufficient stock, panic-driven hoarding by consumers led to rapid depletion.
The association will soon meet district authorities to discuss measures to curb hoarding, particularly in the rural areas, he said.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
