NEW DELHI: Upcountry petrol pumps of state-run fuel retailers are suffering intermittent dry spells as curtailment by private players drives retail and bulk consumers public sector outlets, stretching their tanker fleet that were already coping with rising demand from the farm sector and holiday season road traffic.
Panic buying has added to the problem by creating a run on fuel stocks at pumps and led to long — and often chaotic — queues at the outlets. While the metros and cities closer to supply depots have been spared, dry outs at pumps have been reported from parts of Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
