Jaipur, May 19 (IANS) Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday accused the state government of “misleading” the public over the reported fuel shortage situation, saying that in times of crisis, the government should present the truth so that people can prepare themselves and make alternative arrangements if needed.

Gehlot alleged that fuel and LPG shortages were being reported from parts of Jodhpur and accused the state government of withholding the true situation from the public during a time of crisis.

In a statement, Gehlot said that several visitors from Jodhpur who met him at his residence informed him that petrol and diesel were being supplied in limited quantities at many fuel stations, while several petrol pumps had reportedly run dry altogether.

“People travelling from Jodhpur to Jaipur are being forced to refuel three to four times because petrol pumps are allegedly refusing to provide fuel worth more than Rs 1,000 at a time,” Gehlot claimed. He further alleged that LPG cylinders were also unavailable for several consecutive days in certain areas.

The former Chief Minister said that while the government continued to maintain there was no shortage of petrol, diesel or LPG, petrol pump operators were allegedly claiming that they had received verbal instructions to ration fuel supplies. “This is leading to long queues outside petrol pumps,” he said.

Referring to reports claiming that nearly 40 per cent of petrol pumps in Jodhpur had run dry, Gehlot said the government should avoid “misleading the public” and instead present the real situation transparently.

“This is a time of crisis. Rather than speaking lies and creating confusion, the government should tell the truth so that people can prepare themselves and make alternative arrangements if required,” Gehlot said.

He also warned that the spread of unverified information and rumours could create panic and chaos among the public.

–IANS

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