MP News: Rumours Trigger Rush At Petrol Pumps; State Has Up To 35 Days Of Fuel Stock

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A wave of panic buying swept across several districts of Madhya Pradesh after a viral social media message triggered fears of a fuel shortage, prompting people to rush to petrol pumps in large numbers.

Officials said the state’s fuel supply system remains robust and well-stocked at multiple levels. Petrol pumps maintain four to five days of stock, depots hold about a week’s supply, terminals have reserves for 10-12 days, and refineries maintain 30-35 days of stock, ensuring there is no disruption in availability.

According to the MP Petrol Pump Dealers Association, about 5% of pumps may face temporary shortages due to advance payment issues, but overall availability remains stable.

Ajay Singh, president of the MP Petrol Pump Dealers Association, said fuel stocks are adequate and are being supplied as per demand raised to oil companies. He said petrol pumps typically maintain stock for four to five days, and even if panic buying leads to temporary depletion at some outlets, supplies are replenished within two to three days.

A strategic reserve of 35-40 days is also maintained at Ratnagiri in Maharashtra.

District-Wise Stock Position

In Bhopal, the city has around 58.79 lakh kilolitres of petrol and diesel in stock, sufficient for nearly two-and-a-half to three months. Fuel is supplied daily from Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum depots in Bhauri to around 192 petrol pumps, with 12 lakh litres of diesel and 9 lakh litres of petrol supplied each day.

In Indore, District Supply Controller ML Maru said the district has adequate reserves, with daily consumption of around 10 lakh litres of petrol and 15 lakh litres of diesel. Petrol pumps currently hold about 42 lakh litres of petrol and 65 lakh litres of diesel. Continuous supply from the Manglia depot is ensuring stability.

“Four days of stock is available at each petrol pump, and 45 days of stock is available at the depot,” said Maru.

In Agar Malwa district, around 1.8 lakh litres of petrol and 1.5 lakh litres of diesel are available. Mandsaur has 15 lakh litres of petrol and 19 lakh litres of diesel. Shajapur has petrol stock for two months and diesel for one month, while Ujjain has 16,000 kilolitres of petrol and 25,000 kilolitres of diesel.

In Rajgarh, all 155 petrol pumps together have around 7.75 lakh litres of petrol and 12.46 lakh litres of diesel in stock. Jhabua has about 1.2 lakh litres of petrol and 1.19 lakh litres of diesel, while Alirajpur has around 1.1 lakh litres of petrol and 1.5 lakh litres of diesel.

Minister Rules Out Shortage

Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Govind Singh Rajput said that on March 24, incidents of long queues and panic buying were reported in some districts due to rumours.

He said there is no shortage of petrol or diesel and adequate stock is available, with continuous supply being maintained from depots to petrol pumps. Oil companies have also said sufficient fuel is available across the state.

Rajput added that a control room at the state level is monitoring the situation along with the administration.