Truckers' protest: People in Mumbai, Nagpur rush to fuel stations amid fear of shortage

Queue outside a petrol pump in Nagpur/ PTI

People hurried to fill their vehicle tanks at petrol pumps in Mumbai and Nagpur, fearing fuel shortages caused by truckers' protests over a new law rule on hit-and-run accidents. The protest, which was sparked by drivers' concerns about the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, delayed fuel supplies to Mumbai's petrol pumps, with approximately 200 pumps on the verge of running out of fuel, stated a report in PTI.

Mumbai Petrol Dealers Association president Chetan Modi highlighted the impact on supply, stating that tankers were halted at depots despite police security. Nearly 180 tankers refuel daily at these depots.

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"Petrol pumps started getting dry since yesterday. If we won't get the supply, most of the pumps will run out of fuel from today," he said adding that he visited depots of oil marketing companies in the Sewri area of Mumbai however drivers did not let any fuel tanker move despite police security.

"Nearly 180 tankers are refuelled daily at the Sewri-based depots of oil marketing firms," he remarked.

Meanwhile, Anil Garg of the School Bus Association stated that long queues at various fuel pumps were due to panic buying, attributing the agitation to messages circulated on social media.

Although no truckers' organisation has officially called for a walkout, transporters' head Baba Shinde announced that the All India Motor Transport Congress will meet soon to decide on the next steps.

Panic buying occurred in Nagpur, which led to the Nagpur Collector urging people not to do so. Reports indicated that the demonstration caused difficulties in local transit even though there were promises of an adequate fuel supply.

Nagpur's collector Dr Vipin Itankar appealed to the public to not indulge in panic-buying and stated that he held a meeting with representatives of various oil companies and petrol pump associations who assured that there was enough stock of petrol, diesel and LPG. People should not fall prey to rumours and not crowd the petrol pumps unnecessarily, Itankar said.

Meanwhile, a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader told PTI that due to truckers' protest, local transportation was hit in Nagpur. Meanwhile, the report added that several driver groups held a protest at Nagpur's Samvidhan Chowk. They want to present their requests to the administration later at the district collectorate.

According to a Sena (UBT) functionary, many associations representing truck drivers have arranged a meeting in Nagpur's Maa Umiya industrial region to deliberate on the next steps, the report added.

On Monday, the Maharashtra Food, Civil Supply and Consumer Protection Department asked the police to make sure that the market has a steady and uninterrupted supply of petrol, diesel and LPG cylinders.