Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Panic grips city as fuel stocks dry up

Photo: S. Gopakumar

Precious commodity: Motorists queuing up in front of a petrol pump in the city on Thursday evening. —

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Following panic-filling of diesel and petrol by vehicle owners, petrol pumps in the city ran dry one by one starting Thursday evening.

The panic-filling itself was fuelled by the ongoing strike of officers of major oil companies and news that a fuel crisis is imminent. Right from Thursday evening, long queues of cars, autorickshaws, two-wheelers and commercial vehicles could be seen in the petrol pumps in the heart of the city. Slowly, as a mood of uncertainty gripped the city, fuel pumps on the outskirts of the city and those along the Kovalam-Kazhakkoottam bypass too began to witness a rush of customers.

As the queues grew longer, tempers grew short. Arguments and, in a couple of pumps in the city, minor scuffles broke out as some customers sought to jump the queue to get fuel. Such incidents took place mostly in places where there were no police personnel to control the crowds or where the sizes of the crowd overwhelmed the handful of policemen deployed there. In many pumps, the sale of fuel in jerry cans sparked protests from those waiting in queues for a long time.

In some pumps, the stock of diesel was the first to run out as private and commercial vehicles began to top up their tanks.

As more and more fuel pumps began to put up the ‘no stock’ board, the district administration deputed revenue officials to inspect petrol pumps and to verify whether their fuel stocks had indeed dried up.

“We have found that the petrol and diesel stock had dried up in the pumps in the capital which had displayed the boards. There is no hoarding,” District Collector Sanjay Kaul said. The Tahsildars of the four taluks in the district are in the field and monitoring the situation.

The oil companies have been asked to furnish the stock report by Friday. Meanwhile, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) services are also likely to be affected on account of the strike. “We had stock in major depots. In some depots, the stock of diesel had dried up. But, if the strike continues, the services are likely to be affected,” a top KSRTC official said.

The police will provide backup to all measures being taken to make available petrol, diesel and LPG in the State, a press note issued by the Director General of Police here said.

All district police superintendents and city police commissioner have been issued necessary directions in this regard. The police officials in the border districts of Kerala have been in touch with their counterparts in other States to ensure police protection to the movement of essential goods into the State.

Those engaged in transporting fuel and essential commodities within the State—and this includes business enterprises—can contact the district police superintendent/city police commissioner concerned to ensure police protection for the same, the press note said.

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