People turn to panic buying across Tamil Nadu; huge queues at petrol pumps lead to traffic snarls

Chennai: People across Tamil Nadu turned to panic buying on Thursday, queuing up before fuel stations to stock up on petrol and diesel in 20-litre water cans and purchasing induction stoves from stores, anticipating acute shortages of fuel and LPG cylinders due to the Iran war.

With commercial LPG cylinders not available easily, more than 200 small and medium-size eateries closed their shutters on Thursday, even as many restaurants took more items off the menu to keep running.

Several petrol pumps in Chennai and elsewhere ran out of fuel as panicked people descended with water cans and barrels to stock up on petrol and diesel. Long queues were witnessed outside all fuel stations, with people in two-wheelers and cars lined up to fill their tanks.

Though petrol stations are disallowed from filling petrol in bottles and cans, the attendants came under pressure from the customers, petrol bunk owners said. In some places, people didn’t relent even after police telling them that there were no shortage of fuel.

This DH correspondent was stuck in traffic jams as vehicles filled one part of the road outside four petrol stations on the Arcot Road, and Kodambakkam High Road – people were in no mood to listen when attendants told them that there was no shortage of petrol and diesel.

Similar traffic snarls were reported across the city and in several parts of the state – vehicles on the Thanjavur-Tiruvarur highway were stuck in a jam for over 40 minutes due to heavy crowding outside petrol stations. Long queues at petrol stations began as early as 4 am on Thursday in localities like Velachery and Tambaram with several people coming with bottles to store fuel against rules.

As e-commerce platforms declared induction stoves -- the latest favourite among the middle class -- out of stock, people called electronics appliance stores like Sathya and Vivek’s to check availability. Sathya said induction stoves have been flying off the shelves quite fast in the last few days, even as the firm has ordered fresh stocks that will arrive by Friday.

K P Murali, of the Tamil Nadu Petroleum Dealers Association, said there were no restrictions on the supply of petrol and diesel to 7,000 dealers in the state from three oil companies -- IOC, HPC, and BPC -- and asked people not to queue up at petrol stations out of panic.

“There is no shortage of fuel. Petrol pumps generally have three days’ stock, and they place orders every alternate or third day. The oil companies have enough fuel. Also, people should not buy petrol in large quantities and store it at home, which could turn dangerous,” Murali said, appealing to people not to create an “artificial demand.”

On the restaurants’ front, the Tamil Nadu Hotels Association said 220 small- and medium-sized restaurants in Chennai closed on Thursday due to a shortage of commercial LPG cylinders. The association said the number would increase on Friday if commercial cylinders were not made available to restaurants across the state, even as many have begun shifting to cooking with firewood or induction stoves based on their financial capability.

Several hostels told students to prepare themselves for a limited menu till the situation eases.

Chief Minister M K Stalin asked people not to panic or feel anxious, as the Union Government has stated that sufficient fuel stocks are available. “At this moment, let us stand together and support the efforts being taken to address the challenges arising from the West Asia war situation,” he added.