There is neither highway blockade nor prolonged bandh. However, the State has been reeling under a serious spell of artificial fuel scarcity since the past one week with many fuel outlets in the state ceasing normal supply of petrol to general public. In the past, scarcity of petrol was caused due to prolonged highway blockades. But the present phenomenon is that there is neither highway blockade nor prolonged bandh, but fuel mostly petrol are not readily available at most of the petrol stations and outlets.
The state witnesses long queues of panic buyers in front of the fuel outlets. Most Oil outlets in the state have remained closed since the past few days with stand banners reading “Petrol Nil” displayed in front of the oil outlets causing a panicky situation amongst the consumers while many black marketers with jerkins containing petrol are seen along the roadside or just in front of the oil outlets selling petrol.
Capitalizing on the situation, black marketers have been selling petrol at a rate much higher than the normal rate and thus doing brisk business. A litre of petrol which was sold at a normal rate of Rs 58 in retail outlets is today sold at Rs 100 to Rs 120 in the black market. There seems neither authority check such black marketers nor people raised their voice against the prevailing situation despite they are looted by such black marketers. The answer to the question on who supplies petrol to these black marketers remains unclear. Even though some petrol stations in the State are supplying petrol to consumers in a rationed system, a large number of consumers throng the few open outlets everyday adding to the chaos and panicky situation. For black marketers, it is one big festival for them as they can earn double the money they invest. The primary cause of the present petrol scarcity, as reported in this paper earlier, was suspension or reduced rate of shipping in fuel and poor and unreliable internet services.
