On the night of March 24, rumours surrounding shortages of petrol and diesel swept through several districts of Madhya Pradesh. In no time, people rushed towards their nearest petrol pumps. In fact, police had to be deployed in several cities as crowds swelled across petrol pumps.
However, the big question remains: Is there a petrol and diesel crisis in Madhya Pradesh, or is this merely a product of fear and rumours? India Today TV‘s Ravish Pal Singh travelled to different cities of the state to find out.
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INDORE: STOCK FAR EXCEEDS CONSUMPTION
On Tuesday, messages warning of a petrol and diesel shortage began circulating online. However, local officials as well as elected representatives appealed to the public to disregard the rumours. Speaking to India Today TV, Indore’s District Supply Controller, M.L. Maru, assured people that the district has enough stocks of diesel and petrol.
“The district consumes approximately 10 lakh litres of petrol and 15 lakh litres of diesel daily. In contrast, the pumps hold about 42 lakh litres of petrol and 65 lakh litres of diesel. This means that the available fuel supply is several times greater than the consumption rate,” Maru said. He added that supplies continue to flow uninterrupted from the oil depots located at Mangaliya in Indore.
AGAR: ‘ADEQUATE STORAGE, NO CRISIS’
Agar, which borders Rajasthan, was another district where rumours triggered people to flock to the pumps on Tuesday.
However, District Supply Officer Narayan Singh Muvel stated that the district has enough stocks to last for the next 45 days. “With 180,000 litres of petrol and 150,000 litres of diesel available in Agar, our stocks could be sufficient for the next one and a half months,” he said.
SHAJAPUR: ‘MONTHS’ WORTH OF STOCK AVAILABLE’
There are five petrol pumps in Shajapur. However, oil firms have suspended fuel supplies for at least three of them due to non-payment of dues. This added fuel to the rumours in this historical town. On Tuesday, long queues were seen at petrol pumps, with people waiting for hours to refuel their vehicles.
Speaking to India Today TV, District Assistant Food Officer Devendra Prabhap dismissed reports of any fuel shortage in the district. “We currently hold 900,000 litres of petrol and a reserve of 1.6 million litres of diesel,” he said.
MANDSAUR: ‘STRICT RULES TO END RUMOURS’
In order to keep the situation stable, district authorities in Mandsaur have asked pump operators to limit fuel to a maximum of two litres for two-wheelers and 20 litres for four-wheelers. Moreover, fuel cannot be filled in cans or drums. Every petrol pump has been told to maintain a reserve of 1,500 litres of petrol and 2,500 litres of diesel.
Speaking to India Today TV, District Supply Officer SN Chandrawat added that 1.5 million litres of petrol and 1.9 million litres of diesel are available across the district.
UJJAIN: ‘ENOUGH STOCK OF PETROL, DIESEL’
Urging people to not fall prey to rumours and avoid filling up more fuel than necessary, District Supply Controller Shalu Verma said that the district has more than enough stock of petrol and diesel to fulfil the needs of its residents. “The district has 16,000 kilolitres of petrol and 25,000 kilolitres of diesel, far exceeding the daily consumption rate,” she said.
RAJGARH: AMPLE STORAGE AT 155 PUMPS
In the Rajgarh district, approximately 7.75 lakh litres of petrol and 12.46 lakh litres of diesel are currently available across 155 petrol pumps. District Supply Officer Ajit Kumar Singh categorically denied any shortage of fuel whatsoever.
ALIRAJPUR
District Supply Officer Tapish Pandey appealed to people to not panic, adding that the district has enough fuel supply.
According to Pandey, the district holds 1 lakh litres of petrol and 1,50,000 litres of diesel. Only those petrol pumps that failed to make their payments have been temporarily shut down, he added.
JHABUA
Jhabua District Supply Officer Sanjay Patil told India Today TV that the district has enough fuel to last for several days. He added that regular fuel supplies from oil companies give no reason for people to panic.
WHAT EXPLAINS THE MARCH 24 PANIC?
Experts attributed unverified information on social media and WhatsApp forwards to the panic of March 24. As soon as crowds were observed at a few petrol pumps, videos of these scenes went viral on social media, leading people to believe a crisis was unfolding.
In reality, there is no fuel shortage in any district of Madhya Pradesh. On the contrary, many districts possess more than enough stocks of fuel to last for several weeks.
– Ends
Published By:
Aprameya Rao
Published On:
Mar 26, 2026 08:55 IST
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