‘Fuel stocks sufficient in T.N.’: CM Stalin urges calm as motorists crowd outlets

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday (March 12, 2026) urged people not to panic about the availability of fuel and cooking gas, saying the Union government has reiterated that the country has sufficient stock.

In a statement here, he said that the State government would stand by the efforts of the Union government in view of the West Asia conflict.

Retail fuel outlets across the city, as well as in other cities and towns in the State, have been witnessing a sudden spike in customer volume since Wednesday (March 11) afternoon. Some petrol bunks even ran dry in Chennai, with queues extending to as many as 40 cars, over 150 two-wheelers, and 20 to 30 autorickshaws.

Oil industry sources said that on Wednesday alone, diesel sales volume rose by 17% and petrol sales by 32%. “There is no need to panic. Everyone wants to fill up their tanks to capacity. There are enough stocks of crude oil, and more supplies are on the way,” a source said.

‘Panic buying’

Hariharan, who owns a two-wheeler, said he too filled his tank to the brim as he was unsure when he would be able to get fuel, given the crowds at fuel outlets.

Madhavan, a resident of Mettukuppam, said he waited for over an hour and a half on Thursday to get his car refuelled. “I usually fill up the tank on Saturdays. But looking at the crowds, I too panicked. When I decided to refuel last night, all four bunks in my area had closed by the time I reached them. I ended up wasting time and fuel searching for open bunks. The bunks had even turned off their lights while customers were still inside,” he said.

‘No need to worry’

K. Suresh Kumar, general secretary, Consortium of Indian Petroleum Dealers, said there was absolutely nothing to worry about with regard to fuel stocks. “We have caverns, refinery stocks, and vessels waiting at various ports, which together amount to 74 days of crude oil reserves. Further, the government is making all efforts to procure crude from countries not affected by the conflict. Some supplies have already been tied up.”

“There is nothing to fear for motorists using petrol or diesel. We request citizens and motorists to take it easy and consume fuel based on their normal needs, and not overreact by stocking additional fuel,” he added.

A retail bunk owner said that with private bunks closing as soon as the crisis began, customers returned to outlets run by State-owned oil marketing companies. “We saw an increase of about 40% in customers. If people don’t panic, we will have enough stocks. But everyone wants petrol all of a sudden. Since summer has begun, people are also buying diesel for generators too,” he said.