Fuel Shortage Hits Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar; Several Petrol Pumps Run Dry Across District

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Several petrol pumps in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district has run dry due to irregular fuel supply, causing long queues and inconvenience for vehicle owners, farmers and transport operators. Around six petrol pumps in the city and nearly 12 pumps in rural parts of the district had no fuel stock on Tuesday.

There are 105 petrol pumps in the city and 230 in rural areas. Despite steady demand, many pump owners said fuel supply has become irregular since Saturday. They claimed they had been forced to wait for fresh stock, leading to pumps going dry one after another.

Situation Has Created Panic…

The situation has created panic among motorists. Long queues were seen at several petrol pumps across the city over the past two days. A petrol pump in the Roshan Gate area reportedly ran out of fuel on Monday evening. Soon after, crowds of vehicles gathered at nearby pumps as people rushed to refill their tanks.

The shortage has also affected rural areas where the Kharif-season farm work is underway. Farmers are facing problems getting diesel for tractors used for sowing operations. On the Sillod-Ajanta Road, several petrol pumps displayed “No Stock” boards. Similar scenes were reported from other parts of the district as well.

Similar Situation Had Occurred Last Month…

Pump owners said a similar situation had occurred last month when petroleum companies reportedly demanded advance payments before supplying fuel. At that time too, long queues had formed outside petrol pumps across the district.

Along with the fuel shortage, residents are also facing problems due to the limited supply of domestic cooking gas cylinders. Consumers are waiting nearly eight to 12 days after booking LPG cylinders. Families with only one registered cylinder are facing the most inconvenience.

District Supply Officer Denies Scarcity Claims…

Meanwhile, auto-rickshaw drivers have received some relief after the price of LPG supplied by ‘Go Gas’ was reduced to Rs 99 per litre. The gas is available at petrol pumps located in Kanchanwadi, Beed Bypass, Chikalthana and South City.

District Supply Officer Praveen Fulari denied that there is any fuel scarcity in the district. He said enough petrol and diesel are available, and regular supply is continuing. According to him, around 2,000 litres of petrol and 1,800 litres of diesel are being supplied to petrol pumps every day. He also said the administration had advised Go Gas to reduce LPG prices for the benefit of auto-rickshaw drivers.