400 Petrol Pumps Shut Down in this city of India, Oil Stocks Depleted

Vijayawada. The conflict brewing between Iran and the United States has created a climate of uncertainty regarding global energy supplies. The repercussions of this situation are now becoming visible in India as well. Following reports that stocks of petrol and diesel had run dry at numerous petrol pumps across the southern state of Andhra Pradesh—and the subsequent surge of massive crowds—more than 400 pumps across various districts were shut down on Sunday. Meanwhile, after being informed that stocks were exhausted at these specific pumps, people flocked to other stations, where long queues are now being observed.

According to official sources, the state is home to 4,510 petrol pumps; of these, 421 pumps have completely run out of petrol and diesel stocks. Furthermore, most petrol pumps are currently rationing sales, limiting two-wheelers to just 2 liters and cars to 10 liters of petrol each. Gopal Krishna, President of the Andhra Pradesh Petrol Dealers Association, stated that there is a severe shortage of diesel at many petrol pumps. He noted that while they typically sell an average of just over 7,000 liters of diesel, panic buying driven by the current crisis has caused sales to surge to over 14,000 liters.

Reports of Shortages in Several Locations
The shortage of petrol and diesel has disrupted daily life in several cities, including Vijayawada, Guntur, Rajahmundry, Kurnool, and Nellore. In many places, heated arguments erupted between motorists and petrol pump employees after the staff put up signs announcing that stocks had been depleted. Transportation services were also affected at the renowned hill shrine of Tirumala, where two petrol pumps ran out of fuel. Some individuals waiting in line to refuel their vehicles told the media that they had been waiting for several hours just to fill up their motorcycles.

Why Were the Pumps Forced to Close?* Sources reported that over the weekend, several posts began going viral on social media claiming that the conflict between Iran and the US was about to escalate further, leading to a fuel shortage. Consequently, people began panic-buying. Officials stated that in several locations, thousands of people queued up outside petrol pumps and started purchasing fuel in excess of their needs, which subsequently led to shortages. In a statement, officials from the Chief Minister’s Office clarified that most of the outlets that shut down by Sunday afternoon did so not because they had run out of stock, but rather to curb the panic-buying frenzy.

CM Seeks Report
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has taken action. He has directed District Collectors to immediately implement an action plan to tackle the issue of fuel shortages and to submit a report by Monday evening detailing the measures taken by various departments to resolve the crisis. The Chief Minister also held a teleconference with Chief Secretary G. Sai Prasad and other senior officials to assess the situation. Officials informed the Chief Minister that on Saturday, dealers were supplied with 10,345 kiloliters of petrol and 14,156 kiloliters of diesel; however, panic-buying resulted in massive crowds gathering at numerous outlets.

Blockade in the Strait of Hormuz
It is noteworthy that since the conflict between Iran and the US began on February 28, the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz—one of the world’s most critical waterways—has effectively come to a standstill. Prior to the outbreak of hostilities, 20 percent of the global oil trade passed through this route. This is particularly significant because India imports over 85 percent of its energy requirements, and the vast majority of these imports reach the country via the Strait of Hormuz. With this route now effectively closed, the risk of an energy crisis could escalate. However, the Central Government has stated that India is actively diversifying its import options and that there is currently no shortage of fuel within the country.