Vidarbha consumed more than double its daily quota of petrol on Tuesday, when panic buying began, and the trend continued on Wednesday. A senior official from a PSU oil company said the company usually sells around 800 kilolitres (KL) of petrol daily in the region, but sales jumped to nearly 2,200 KL on Tuesday.
Diesel sales rose by about one and a half times. In Nagpur, both petrol and diesel sales doubled on Tuesday and continued at the same pace, leading to pumps running dry as replenishment lagged. The three PSU oil companies each hold around 30% to 35% market share.
On a normal day, the same company sells up to 1,800 KL of diesel, but this touched 3,000 KL on Tuesday and remained high, said the official, requesting anonymity. Similar trends were seen across other companies. Combined, PSU firms are estimated to have sold around 6,000 KL of petrol and nearly 10,000 KL of diesel — roughly equal to the daily stock of a single large petroleum depot.
Sources said the panic began in Gujarat two-three days earlier and spread to Maharashtra. While demand surged, replenishment remained slow due to multiple factors, including the suspension of the credit system and insistence on advance payments by petrol pumps.
Officials said such curbs could cause shortages even in normal times, though dealers claim these were introduced after the West Asia crisis. In Nagpur’s 64 pumps, each company typically sells 170–240 KL petrol daily, but volumes doubled due to panic buying, with diesel showing a similar trend.
“Now the pump owners have to deposit the day’s cash in the banks and then the amount is sent by RTGS to the company. It takes two to three hours for the companies to credit the amount in their accounts. However, lately none of the dealers whose amounts reach after 2.30pm can get their tanker refilled on the same day,” said Amit Gupta, president of the Federation of Maharashtra Petroleum Dealers Association (FAMPEDA). Earlier, stock could be lifted on credit.
Nayara Energy’s Wardha depot, a key supply source, shuts operations after 2.30pm, leaving many tankers waiting even after advance payment. BPCL’s Borkhedi depot, about 37 km from Nagpur, remains open longer but also follows the 2.30pm payment deadline.
Sources said quotas have been capped based on last year’s offtake, and one company is insisting dealers lift lubricants along with fuel. These changes are recent. A source noted that slowing sales during high crude prices can help companies limit losses. However, both dealers and companies stressed there is no shortage of stock, and panic buying is worsening the situation.
Vidarbha gets supplies from BPCL, Nayara Energy, and IOCL depots in Akola and Chandrapur. Nayara Energy had 2,900 KL petrol and 9,800 KL diesel in stock on Wednesday, with another 2,900 KL petrol and 3,734 KL diesel on the way.
BPCL’s depot had 3,500 KL petrol and 10,500 KL diesel on Wednesday, compared to 4,500 KL petrol and 12,000 KL diesel on Tuesday. IOCL’s Tadali depot had 2,700 KL petrol and 8,700 KL diesel, while Akola’s Gaigoan depot had over 10 days’ stock.
Earlier, IOCL operated a depot at Khapri, which has since shut after the railways took over the land. Sources said its presence could have eased supply pressure to some extent.
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