Srinagar, March 25 – Panic spread across the Kashmir Valley on Wednesday as motorists, trucks, and owners of other vehicles crowded petrol/diesel pumps in an attempt to buy fuel.
This was happening despite announcements made by the Indian Oil Corporation that there was no shortage of petroleum products in Jammu and Kashmir.
People began crowding petrol stations in Kashmir as news spread from one area to another, saying that a severe energy crisis was gripping the Valley.
At many locations, police personnel were seen managing the crowds, while those carrying jerrycans, tins, and other containers were refused any fuel supply.
The situation was particularly chaotic in Srinagar, as one after another, petrol/diesel pumps closed down, claiming they had run out of supplies.
Authorities have been urging people not to engage in panic buying, as stocks of petrol/diesel and LPG are sufficient to last for 20 days in the Valley.
Greed and panic caused official statements to fall on deaf ears in Srinagar and elsewhere in the Valley.
Owners of petrol stations told:
The most confusing situation was that instead of advising and motivating vehicle owners not to engage in panic buying, the police were busy trying to ensure smooth and regulated buying at petrol pumps without making announcements that such knee-jerk buying was fraught with the risk of creating an artificial shortage of fuel.
People were already lining up in long queues trying to buy LPG cylinders, as officials said that one LPG cylinder per authorized connection would be issued in 25 days in urban areas and in 35 days in rural areas.
With complete dependence on LPG for cooking requirements in both rural and urban areas, the probability of an impending crisis in LPG demand and supply is already looming, if not already hitting the Valley.
Reports of unscrupulous LPG outlets selling cooking gas in the black market are also circulating, as authorities have warned people not to sell or buy LPG in the black market.
Authorities are regularly reviewing the stock position of LPG supply in Jammu and Kashmir, but they still express apprehension that unless people cooperate and understand to buy cooking gas only as much as needed for their daily needs and not for stockpiling, the gap in demand and supply will continue to widen further in the coming days.