Srinagar, March 25 (IANS) Panic gripped people across the Kashmir Valley on Wednesday as motorists, trucks and owners of other conveyances mobbed petrol/diesel pumps trying to buy fuel.

This is happening despite announcements made by the Indian Oil Corporation that there is no shortage of petroleum products in Jammu and Kashmir.

People started mobbing refilling stations in Kashmir as news spread from one area to another, saying that acute energy crisis was gripping the Valley.

At many places, police personnel were seen regulating the rush while those reporting with jerrycans, tins and other carrying vessels were refused any fuel supply.

Chaos was worst confounded in Srinagar city as one after the other petrol/diesel pumps shut down, claiming that they had run out of supplies.

Authorities have been asking people not to resort to panic buying as stocks of petrol/diesel and LPG are enough to last for 20 days in the Valley.

Greed and panic made official statements fall on deaf ears in Srinagar and elsewhere in the Valley.

Owners of refilling stations told IANS that panic buying by vehicle owners was likely to create an artificial crisis that would not be taken care of by routine and normal tanker arrivals carrying fuel at their stations.

The most confusing situation was that instead of advising and motivating vehicle owners not to resort to panic and unwarranted buying, police was busy trying to ensure smooth and regulated buying at petrol pumps without making announcements that such knee-jerk buying was fraught with risks of creating an artificial scarcity of fuel.

People are already lined up in long queues trying to buy LPG cylinders as officials said one LPG cylinder per authorised connection would be issued in 25 days in urban areas and in 35 days in rural areas.

With complete dependence in both rural and urban areas on LPG for cooking requirements, the probability of an impending crisis in LPG demand and supply is already in the offing if not already hitting the Valley.

Reports of unscrupulous LPG outlets selling cooking gas in the black market are also doing the rounds as authorities have warned people not to sell or buy LPG in the black market.

Authorities are taking regular review of stock position of LPG supply in Jammu and Kashmir, but they still express apprehension that unless people cooperate and understand to buy cooking gas only as much as needed for their day-to-day needs and not for stockpiling it, the gap in demand and supply would continue to widen further in the coming days.

–IANS

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