Panic gripped consumers with news about fuel shortage in the city following HP outlets, besides a few IOC outlets, remaining shut on Tuesday.
Many HP outlets and a few IOC ones were found displaying “No stock” or “No petrol” boards on Monday, which renewed fuel shortage fears among motorists.
“Delayed supply is the major cause for the recurrence of the problem. For instance, I placed order on Saturday for Monday, but I received load only by late Monday night.
And I am yet to receive my combined stock of petroleum and diesel now and it appears it would only reach by late night,” said an IOC dealer.
A few dealers, who reportedly postponed placing orders expecting a reduction in prices on Saturday, caused the backlog and is also cited as a reason.
A dealer retorted by saying it was already two days since the reduction had happened and that could have been sorted out by now. “We don’t know what’s happening inside the terminal points.”
However, oil companies assured that there was no imminent shortage. “Even on Monday, about 300-400 loads of tankers were disbursed,” said an IOC official.
But confirming that there was a supply problem to HP retail outlets, they said supplies from CPCL failed to reach on time to HP units. But some opine that this could also be on account of pending indents not cleared on Sunday, a holiday.
“Though the situation is not grave, supplies have still not been streamlined which is certainly affecting the retail outlets,” said, Mr M. Kannan, president, Tamil Nadu Petroleum Dealers Association.