Social media rumours trigger 5-hour queues at Gujarat petrol pumps; government, oil firms call it false alarm

The Gujarat government on Monday said there is no shortage of petrol and diesel despite long queues at fuel stations across several cities, as rumours of scarcity sparked panic buying.

Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi said sufficient fuel is available and urged citizens not to fall for misinformation on social media amid concerns linked to the ongoing West Asian conflict.

“Sufficient quantity of petrol and diesel was available in the state. Citizens do not need to panic over rumours. There was no need to hoard fuel,” he said, as cited by PTI.


He added that Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is reviewing the situation every two days to ensure smooth supply, while a high-level meeting was also held to assess availability and streamline distribution.

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Officials said continuous monitoring is in place to maintain uninterrupted supply, with mechanisms ready to address any technical or logistical disruptions. “If there is any technical or logistical issue in supply anywhere, it will be immediately identified and resolved,” Sanghvi said.

Despite these assurances, panic triggered by unverified messages led to heavy rush at petrol pumps in cities such as Ahmedabad and Vadodara, with long queues reported at several outlets.

Industry bodies also dismissed claims of a shortage, attributing the situation to panic buying. Federation of Gujarat Petroleum Dealers Association president Arvind Thakkar said queues built up over the past few hours due to rumours, even as supply from oil companies remained steady.

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“For the last four to five hours, queues were witnessed at petrol pumps in Ahmedabad. This was due to rumours. There was no problem from the government's side or oil companies regarding supply. We are receiving as much petrol and diesel as required,” he said, as cited by PTI.

Thakkar clarified that no instructions have been issued to restrict fuel sales and noted that the situation escalated after three to four petrol pumps temporarily ran out of stock, triggering wider panic.

“Because a few petrol pumps ran out of petrol, panic spread among people. But there was no shortage,” he said, urging people not to believe unverified information, according to PTI.