Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan said that there was no shortage of cooking gas or other fuels in the state, urging people not to panic buy, reported the PTI.
He assured that supplies remain steady and that the Union government has guaranteed continued availability of LPG.
The minister explained that a sudden increase in demand over the past five days led to what he described as an “artificial shortage”.
Although petrol pumps have sufficient stock, panic buying created the impression that fuel supplies were running low.
Rumours and political statements blamed
Mahajan said fear among the public, along with statements by opposition leaders, had added to confusion and concern regarding LPG supply.
He noted that such factors have unnecessarily heightened anxiety among citizens.
Situation to stabilise
According to the minister, the situation is expected to return to normal within three to four days as demand stabilises and supply continues uninterrupted.
He appealed to residents not to hoard fuel and warned that strict action would be taken against those spreading rumours on social media.
Panic buying leads to fuel demand-supply mismatch in Jalna
Meanwhile, panic buying triggered by social media rumours led to long queues and rush at petrol pumps in Maharashtra`s Jalna district on Thursday, even as authorities assured that there is no shortage of petrol and diesel, reported the PTI.
The sudden spike in demand created a temporary mismatch between supply and consumption, officials said.
According to the District Supply Office, adequate stock of petrol and diesel is available in the district. However, to tackle the situation, authorities have capped the amount of fuel that can be sold per vehicle. Two-wheelers can be refuelled with petrol worth up to Rs 200, while three- and four-wheelers can be refuelled with fuel worth Rs 2,000 at a time, as per the PTI.
Sale of fuel in cans or bottles has been banned. Priority will be given to ambulances and essential service vehicles.
Several petrol pumps reportedly ran dry on Wednesday, while long queues were seen outside LPG agencies. Farmers with tractors were seen waiting for hours at petrol pumps, according to the PTI.
Jalna District Petrol Association member Inderchand Tawarawala said the district has sufficient petrol stock to last nearly a month.
(with PTI inputs)
