Panic buying triggered by rumours of a fuel shortage has led to a three-fold spike in petrol and diesel sales across Telangana, causing temporary stock exhaustion at several fuel stations, the Telangana Petroleum Dealers Association (TPDA) said on Wednesday (March 25, 2026). It said that adequate fuel stocks are available with HPCL, IOCL and BPCL, and that supply chains are functioning normally.
Raising safety concerns, the Association cautioned against storing petrol or diesel in cans or unauthorised containers. It noted that such practices violate Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) norms and pose serious risks, including fire accidents. Improper storage of fuel, it said, is neither safe nor approved.
Telangana CM’s emergency meeting on petrol, LPG and urea stocks on March 25 afternoon
In a statement, the Association said the circulation of false and misleading information over the past few days prompted people to rush to fuel stations and fill their tanks unnecessarily, leading to an abnormal surge in demand.
Speaking to The Hindu, the TPDA general secretary Vinod Vishwanath said the sudden rush witnessed over the last two days was entirely driven by rumours and not due to any disruption in supply. He said the panic-led demand briefly strained stocks at some outlets, but the overall supply situation remains stable.
