Jammu: Public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) are ensuring uninterrupted availability of petrol, diesel and LPG across Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh amid a sharp rise of 20 to 30 per cent in fuel demand, officials said on Saturday.
OMCs appealed to public to avoid panic buying and advised consumers to continue normal purchase and rely only on official communications for accurate information regarding fuel availability.
State Level Coordinator, Oil Industry, Himanshu Sharma said Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited recorded a 30 per cent increase in petrol sales and 20 per cent rise in diesel sales in Jammu and Kashmir during May 1-21 compared to the corresponding period last year.
He said the higher offtake of petroleum products in the region was driven by seasonal agricultural activities and increased tourist inflow, while additional demand arose due to a noticeable shift of institutional and commercial consumers towards retail fuel outlets.
Sharma said public sector OMCs were maintaining close coordination with the administration to ensure seamless fuel supply and distribution across the region.
”Public sector OMCs continue operations and logistics coordination across the country to ensure uninterrupted availability of petrol, diesel and LPG despite the sudden and significant increase in demand,” he said.
The oil industry also assured consumers that adequate stock of petroleum products, including LPG, is available and all necessary measures are in place to maintain uninterrupted supplies.
According to officials, OMCs are continuously reviewing stock positions and coordinating logistics and distribution to efficiently meet the enhanced demand.
The oil industry reiterated its commitment to ensuring uninterrupted fuel supplies and meeting consumer requirements across Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh during the ongoing peak-demand period.
Earlier, Valley residents expressed concern over the multiple hikes in fuel prices over the past 10 days, saying this will fuel inflation, with commensurate increase in prices of other essential commodities.
Petrol and diesel prices were raised by 87 to 91 paise per litre on Saturday, taking the cumulative increase in retail fuel rates to nearly Rs 5 a litre in under 10 days, as state-owned oil firms reeled under soaring crude prices.
”This is the third hike in the past 10 days. They are hiking the prices gradually. Already, the financial condition of people is bad, and the rising fuel prices will make it worse,” Owais Ahmad, a Srinagar resident, said.
He said while the price hike is a fallout of the West Asia crisis, the government should not put the burden on commoners.
”The government should reduce taxes to ease the burden on people. How will the common man survive otherwise,” he questioned.
Mehraj Ahmad, a commuter, expressed apprehension that there would be steady increase in the fuel prices as the crisis gets prolonged.
”The government will increase the prices regularly and it will burn our pockets. It will make daily commute costlier,” he said.
People said inflation was already very high and the increase in fuel prices would lead to further escalation of prices of essential commodities.
”This increase will further disturb already stretched household budgets. It will make things harder,” Irfan Nazeer, a local, said.
He said low and middle-income families would feel the heat of the price rise.
Many commuters said it was better to switch to electric vehicles.
”The price rise will make daily commute costlier. Poor people, middle-class families and students who have a tight budget will feel the pinch. I think it is better to switch to electric vehicles to reduce the direct impact of the hike,” Mohammad Shahnawaz, a local, said.
The latest revision pushed petrol prices higher by 87 paise per litre and diesel by up to 91 paise across the country, according to industry sources.
The back-to-back hikes follow a prolonged freeze in retail fuel prices and come amid elevated crude oil prices in the global market, tightening refining margins, and a weaker rupee, which have sharply raised the cost of imports.
With the latest hike, petrol and diesel prices have risen to nearly Rs 5 a litre since the state-owned oil marketing companies on May 15 ended the hiatus in rate revision, stoking concerns of inflation and higher transportation costs across the economy.
Petrol and diesel prices were increased by Rs 3 per litre each on May 15 and 90 paise a litre on May 19.
Global crude prices have surged more than 50 per cent since late February, following US-Israel strikes on Iran and disruption of shipment through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil transit route.
