Assam rules out fuel shortage, urges public to avoid panic buying

The Office of the Chief Secretary, Assam, has dismissed concerns over any shortage of petrol and diesel, stating that supplies remain stable across the State and production continues to exceed demand.

In a post on social media, the Chief Secretary’s Office said there is “no shortage of diesel and petrol in the market”, echoing assurances issued by the Union government. The spokesperson of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas had also clarified the position during a media interaction a day earlier.

Officials noted that Assam remains in a strong position due to its refining capacity. Output from the four refineries — Numaligarh Refinery, Noonmati Refinery, Digboi Refinery and Bongaigaon Refinery — “significantly exceeds local demand”, ensuring steady availability across districts.

“There are no anticipated bottlenecks in the supply chain, including the movement of fuel from refineries to retail outlets,” the post said, urging consumers to avoid panic buying. It warned that unusual demand could create “artificial and temporary shortages at certain outlets”, leading to a cascading impact on distribution.

A joint team of senior officials from the Food and Civil Supplies Department, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (State Level Coordinator), and the district administration is scheduled to brief the media at 3 pm at the DC Office (Metro), providing further details on supply and logistics.

At the national level, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing & Oil Refinery) at the ministry, said India has the capacity to refine “approximately 26 crore tonnes of crude oil annually”. She referred to reports of queues outside petrol pumps in some areas over the past two days, attributing them to panic buying.

“We have sufficient petrol and diesel available. There is no shortage at any petrol pump,” she said, adding that supply terminals are adequately stocked. Sharma also urged people to “not believe rumours and avoid panic buying”, and confirmed there has been no increase in fuel prices.

Authorities have appealed for public cooperation, stressing that normal purchasing behaviour will help maintain a smooth and uninterrupted fuel supply across Assam.