Maharashtra govt suspects petrol and diesel hoarding, plans action

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government suspects that fuel meant for retail is being 'hoarded and diverted' for commercial purposes and it intends to crack down on those allegedly hoarding fuel. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said an artificial shortage is being created due to a sudden increase in demand of petrol and diesel, causing petrol pumps to turn dry in several districts.

"We have got the same quantity of fuel as last year. However, demand has shot up suddenly. In the case of petrol, it has shot up by 23% compared to the previous year, while diesel demand has gone up to 52%. Despite supplying additional fuel, a shortage-like situation has been created," Fadnavis said.

He said unusual spikes in diesel demand have been seen in several districts. "In Akola, diesel consumption has increased by 154%, while in places like Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Beed, Bhandara, Chandrapur, Gondia and Hingoli, it has increased by 70%," he said.


Fadnavis said: "While retail consumption has seen an abnormal increase in petrol and diesel consumption, commercial fuel consumption has slightly reduced. We need to verify whether the increased fuel consumption by retail is being diverted towards commercial use." He said that while they were doing their best to "give farmers fuel, someone is trying to take advantage of it".

Fadnavis was alluding to the state's farmers who were insisting that they be allowed to fill their cans with petrol and diesel from fuel pumps instead of bringing their vehicles. Farmers are claiming that they cannot bring their tractors as they do not have enough fuel to bring it to the pumps. There is an assessment in the government that hoarders pretending to be farmers are now hoarding/ diverting this fuel.