Lakhimpur Kheri: Rumours about a shortage of petroleum products and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) due to the ongoing West Asia conflict triggered panic among locals in several areas of Lakhimpur Kheri here, leading to long queues at many petrol pumps on Friday, officials said.
Queues of people seeking to purchase petrol and diesel were witnessed across several fuel stations in the Nighasan, Pallia and Bhira areas amid fears of a possible shortage.
However, District Supply Officer Anjani Kumar Singh dismissed the rumours as baseless and said there was no shortage of petrol, diesel or LPG in the district.
“The rumours of shortage of petrol, diesel or LPG in Kheri district are baseless and unfounded,” Singh told the news agency, adding that adequate stocks of petroleum products were available and people should purchase them only as per their needs.
He also warned of strict action against anyone found hoarding petroleum products.
District Magistrate Durga Shakti Nagpal also took cognisance of the rumours and appealed to people not to panic, assuring that the supply of petrol and diesel in the district was normal.
Kheri Petroleum Traders Association district president Abhishek Dixit emphasised that there was no fuel crisis in the district and sufficient stock was available at petrol pumps to meet consumer demand.Similarly, Arun Kumar Singh, district president of the LPG distributors association, said there was adequate LPG stock in the district and urged residents not to panic.
The administration in Barabanki district also dismissed rumours of a fuel shortage circulating on social media and other platforms, with District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi saying the claims about a shortage of petrol and diesel are baseless and misleading.
Tripathi said that adequate stocks of petrol and diesel were available at all fuel stations in the district, and the
supply system was functioning normally.
The administration was continuously monitoring the situation at petrol pumps, and there was no shortage of fuel anywhere, he said.