Madhya Pradesh stares at petrol, diesel crisis as firms cut supply

BHOPAL:  A petrol and diesel crisis looms large in Madhya Pradesh, as some prominent oil marketing companies have cut supplies to petrol pumps across the state, including Bhopal. According to sources, out of the around 4,900 petrol pumps in the state, about 1,000 pumps, particularly those in remote areas, have either gone dry or have just three to four days stock (particularly of diesel) left.

“Many petrol pumps have dried out or are on the verge of it due to reduced supplies. We already suffer losses during the monsoon, which is about to begin. This will add to our woes,” MP Petrol Pumps Dealers Association head Ajay Singh said.

According to industry sources, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Haryana could also be facing a similar situation, as the oil marketing companies stare at huge under-recoveries as they find it tough to incur Rs 28 per litre loss on diesel and Rs 16 per litre loss on petrol.