Rationing of petrol and diesel, already a de facto reality in many of the city’s petrol pumps, may well become a way of life if the authorities get emboldened to come clean on the prevailing fuel situation, which has been plaguing the city for a month now. Pune Petrol Dealers’ Association president Babasaheb Dhumal said that such a situation may come to pass soon as there is already a 25 per cent shortfall of petrol supplies while diesel supplies are down 50 per cent. “We have been told that oil companies have cut down on purchases with the rising crude oil prices and rationing of fuel is, therefore, bound to come into effect,” he explained.

Ali Daruwalla, who owns a petrol pump in the Camp area agreed, saying that the fuel shortage was a reality and oil companies are helpless in sorting out the issue as there is a directive from the Central government to cut down sales by 10-20 per cent compared to last year. “Last year, our pump sold 500 kilolitres. This year our sales are up 20 per cent but the oil company has requested us not to uplift more than what we sold last year. To overcome this shortage, we have started closing at 10 pm as against at midnight, when we used to close shop till only a week ago,” Daruwalla said. He added that this situation will continue for a couple of months.

The fuel shortage is all too real for Sagar Khare, a student who had a harrowing time today as he saw that two petrol pumps in Pimpri had put up “no stock” boards. “I had to push my vehicle for almost 4 km to get petrol,” he said.

The situation was no different in the Camp area as Seema Yadav, a government officer, has been only too aware. “I’ve been filling petrol worth Rs 200 a go for the last one month as pumps keep putting up “no stock” boards regularly these days. Till a month back, I used to fill petrol worth only Rs 100,” she said.

Normally, the district needs 300 tankers of diesel and 150 tankers of petrol a day; currently there is shortage of both. “We are getting only 150 tankers of diesel and around 125 tankers of petrol. What’s worrying is that even this supply is decreasing. Yesterday, there was a 15 per cent shortage and today it has dipped to 25 per cent,” he said.

Dhumal, who along with other petrol dealers met the district collector, was told that the oil companies are not buying the required stock. “We were told by senior officers that they cannot force the oil companies to buy as prices are rising,” he pointed out.

However, the oil marketing companies (OMCs) claim that they have been providing the usual stock. Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), accounts for 25 per cent of Pune’s share, said that it was getting its regular supply from the Loni Kalbhor terminal. “We have not restricted supplies and the shortage may be due to some transport problems,” said an IOC officer.

On the other hand, an officer of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) said that since the petrol price hike, the company has observed a 10 per cent rise in demand. “This is not much and we have been addressing this demand,” he said. “This shortage may not be because of erratic supplies,” he claimed.