Petrol, diesel and LPG panic buying is on the surge amid ongoing Middle East conflict and uncertainty over fuel supply. This energy crisis seems to be taking a toll on the lives of citizens while the government maintains that there is no shortage of petrol, diesel, or Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) across the country.

The near closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a significant waterway which ​serves as a conduit for 40% of India's crude oil imports, has disrupted shipping and gas supplies.

Social media reaction amid ongoing global energy crisis Several users on the internet shared their plight on X with scenes of long queues of motorists at petrol pumps. Videos of chaos at petrol pumps in Hyderabad, Surat, Ahmedabad, Kutch, Nagpur and Indore, among other cities are going viral as customers can be seen waiting for long hours to refill their vehicle amid concerns over future fuel supply.

A user wrote, “I've booked a cylinder on 15 March. 11 days and Still it's not delivered. As of now an Indian oil petrol pump just 100 mtrs away from my residence displayed a board stating NO STOCK.”

A second user asked, "People lining up at a petrol pump in India amidst global fuel crisis due to west Asia war. Is it because of lack of fuel stocks or people are panic hoarding?"

A third user inquired about the fuel shortage situation in Hyderabad to which a user replied, “Yup it's true, I was traveling to the office at 7:30 am today and found heavy traffic at every petrol pump.”

Another remarked, “The HP petrol pump at my house is closed today. So it seems yes.”

A third comment read, “Yes, even just when I was dropping my daughter to school, the petrol pump next to my home is overly crowded with lines upto 500m away.”

Another user wrote, “While govt continuously announcing sufficient stock of petrol, but today mornig all petrol pump in mundra stock out & closed. Went to 3 fuel pump 1 has board no petrol others have very huge que (sic).”

View full Image View full Image People queue up at Ahmedabad petrol pump on March 24 amid concerns over potential supply disruptions. ( REUTERS )

No shortage of petrol, diesel and LPG, claims Telangana govt In view of recent reports of long queues and temporary "No Stock" boards, Telangana's Consumer Affairs, Food and Civil Supplies Department on Tuesday clarified that there is no shortage of Petrol, Diesel, or domestic LPG anywhere in the state.

According to the release, sudden rush of consumers and panic buying fuelled by false rumours resulted in temporary shortage at petrol pumps. Warning against hoarding, black-marketing and illegally diversion of fuel, the release said, “When citizens unnecessarily rush to fill their tanks to full capacity, it creates an artificial scarcity, despite adequate fuel being available at the depots.”

Besides blaming the panic buying, the release further noted that the recent administrative changes regarding advance-payment models by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have caused minor, temporary logistical adjustments for some local dealers.

Several Hindustan Petroleum pumps dropped advisory on Wednesday, including Chandigarh, Jalandhar and Nizamabad RO, urging customers not to be misled by rumours or resort to panic buying. At the same time, they provided assurance that fuel supplies remain stable and adequate stocks are available.

As India seeks to diversify its fuel supply amid disruptions to global energy markets caused by Iran conflict with the US-Israel, it is set to register 46% drop in LPG imports from February on a daily basis, bringing the import quantity to 1.190 million metric tons, Reuters reported citing traders and ship-tracking data from London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG).