No fuel shortage in Telangana: Petroleum Dealers Association

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.

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.

“There is no shortage of petrol or diesel. People need not panic. Supply is continuing as usual, and sales will return to normal levels shortly,” he said, adding that the situation is already beginning to stabilise.

Usual stocks at fuel stations

Providing an overview of fuel availability, he noted that an average petrol pump in urban areas like Hyderabad typically maintains around 30,000 to 40,000 litres of petrol and about 30,000 litres of diesel. In rural areas, outlets generally stock a minimum of 10,000 litres of petrol and 20,000 litres of diesel.

Number of fuel outlets in Telangana

The Association highlighted that the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area has around 600 to 700 fuel outlets, while Telangana as a whole has approximately 3,000 outlets operated by HPCL, IOCL and BPCL, and adequate stocks are available with these companies.