While the supply officers attributed the shortage to stocking of petrol by the public in fear of rising prices and thus creating “artificial demand” the petrol dealers have maintained that there are not getting enough supply from the terminals. President of Pune Petrol Dealers Association Babasaheb Dhumal met the district collectorate officers on Wednesday demanding a joint meeting of the oil companies and dealers to address the supply shortage. “With the supply being limited, the stocks will last just for two days,” said Dhumal.

Additional collector Vasant Vaidya however said there was no such shortage nor did he get any indication to that effect from the oil companies. Food Grain Distribution officer Aparna Wankhede said that the stocks were just as normal days.

“There is no shortage. Last evening too the stocks for Bharat Petroleum Company Limited (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Company Limited (HPCL) as well as Indian Oil Company Limited (IOCL) were in order. The present surge in demand is because of some news reports that suggested a fuel price hike was imminent,” she said.

Chief manager of HPCL’s Loni Klabhor terminal, VK Goel, said the company was supplying 300 tankers to the city, Satara and some parts of Ahmednagar. “As of now we are not facing a shortage and all efforts will be put in to meet the increasing demand. If need be we will increase the tankers to 320 to cater to the rising demands,” he said.

However, IOC company officers admitted that on Wednesday morning their local stocks went dry, and there was a shortage at its petrol pumps in the city. “We have arranged stocks from Ahmednagar which is on its way. Hopefully the situation should ease out in two days’ time,” said the officer. He also attributed the shortage to panic buying triggered by fear of rise in prices.

BPCL does not have a separate terminal and is now taking supplies from Mumbai and hence is facing a problem with the stocks. Senior officers from the company maintained that though there was some shortage, they are trying to source it from other centres. ‘Shortage is there all over the country and we are trying to meet the demand,” said the officer.