The ongoing West Asia conflict has begun impacting fuel supply in Odisha's Nabarangpur and Koraput districts, triggering panic buying, partial closure of petrol pumps, and long queues at fuel stations.
Nabarangpur Faces Severe Disruptions
In Nabarangpur district, only three out of nine petrol pumps in the town and block headquarters areas remained operational on Thursday, while the remaining six were shut due to supply disruptions. Fuel stations that remained functional witnessed heavy rush throughout the day as residents queued up to buy petrol and diesel.
Among the operational outlets, Laxmi Fuels continued regular operations, while Maa Mangala filling station and Ganga fuels opened on Tuesday and Wednesday to meet the increasing demand. To ensure equitable distribution and prevent hoarding, the administration imposed restrictions on fuel sales. Two-wheelers were allowed fuel worth up to Rs 200, auto-rickshaws Rs 300, and cars and other vehicles up to Rs 1,000. Sale of fuel in bottles and jerry cans was prohibited.
Chief civil supplies officer (Nabarangpur) Debashish Mohanty said the district currently has a stock of 4,14,982 liters of diesel and 3,82,182 litres of petrol across fuel stations of four different companies. Assistant chief supplies officer Bishnu Prasad Pradhan said an additional 1,45,500 liters of diesel and 2,15,500 liters of petrol are on the way to the district to stabilize supply.
Collector (Nabarangpur) Maheshwar Swain warned of strict action against black marketing of fuel. "Officials of the district supply department and administration will remain present at fuel stations to ensure smooth and equitable distribution among consumers," he said.
Similar Situation in Koraput
A similar situation was witnessed in Jeypore town, where long queues of vehicles were seen at fuel stations since Wednesday. Out of the five petrol pumps in the town, two remained closed while fuel distribution continued at the remaining three outlets. However, officials attributed the sudden rush to rumours of a hike in petrol and diesel prices from Thursday rather than any actual shortage.
Koraput chief civil supplies officer Manas Ranjan Mahapatra said the district has adequate stock of fuel and appealed to people not to panic. "There is sufficient stock of petrol and diesel in the district. The heavy rush at fuel stations is mainly due to rumours of a fuel price hike. People should not panic unnecessarily," he said.
According to Mahapatra, Koraput district currently has 4,65,992 liters of petrol and 4,40,850 liters of diesel in stock. He said 82,000 litres of petrol and 1,25,000 litres of diesel are in transit and are expected to reach the district by Thursday evening. "People should avoid unnecessary rush at fuel stations as there is no shortage of fuel supply," he added.
Authorities continue to monitor the situation and have urged residents to remain calm as additional supplies are being dispatched to ensure uninterrupted fuel availability.
