Hyderabad:
Panic buying of petrol by motorists in Hyderabad and other parts of the Telangana region has pushed petrol pumps dry. Oil companies said the ongoing TRS agitations are causing supply problems. No tanker was allowed to enter the city on Sunday and Monday, creating shortage of fuel for a while.
Some company-owned outlets operated and got exhausted after a few hours. Though supplies were normal on Tuesday, Wednesday again saw huge crowds line up for fuel. "We sold more than twenty lakh litres of petrol on Tuesday and it was twice the normal demand," an oil company official said.
There are 600 petrol pumps in Hyderabad. The rally on Thursday, announced by the TRS and others, left motorists in a state of uncertainty, causing panic buying.
Taking advantage of the agitation, autorickshaws and taxis are making a killing by inflating charges. There are around 50,000 autos in the city and the minimum charge is Rs 12 for a distance of 1.5 kilometres. People complain that autowallahs are now charging between Rs 50 and Rs 300, irrespective of the distance.