Bhubaneswar: Amid reports of panic buying and long queues at petrol pumps across Odisha, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) Chief General Manager Kamal Sheel has reassured the public that there is sufficient stock of petrol and diesel in the state and urged citizens to avoid unnecessary hoarding.
Speaking to the media, Sheel said “Sufficient stocks are being maintained at all supply locations. He stated that oil companies have stock for 10 to 12 days at their marketing supply points, which are also connected to Paradip Refinery through pipelines. There is no shortage of any product anywhere. We are maintaining sufficient inventory. There is absolutely no need to panic. People should buy petrol and diesel as they normally do. There is no need to buy extra and store it at home or fill more than required.”
“All oil companies including IOCL, HPCL, BPCL, Reliance, and Nayara have sufficient stock of petrol and diesel. Some depots and tanks are temporarily closed due to other reasons, but we are closely monitoring the situation district-wise. We are maintaining 3 to 4 days of stock at the district level. I would like to appeal to the public not to create long queues on the roads.”
He further informed that there are around 2,800 retail outlets in Odisha, most of which are functioning normally. Some pumps may temporarily run dry due to their own reasons but fresh supplies are regularly reaching the outlets. In the last two days, we have seen a 30 per cent increase in fuel sales due to panic buying.
