Chennai Fuel Crisis? Massive Queues Seen as Shortage Rumours Go Viral

New Delhi, March 12, 2026 – Serpentine queues and chaotic scenes returned to the streets of Chennai on Wednesday night and Thursday morning as thousands of motorists swarmed fuel stations. The sudden surge was triggered by viral social media videos and intensifying rumours of an impending petrol and diesel shortage, linked to the ongoing West Asia geopolitical crisis.

The panic, which began as a trickle in the late evening, turned into a full-scale rush by Thursday, March 12, 2026, leaving many outlets struggling to manage the influx of vehicles.

Viral Videos Trigger City-Wide Alarm

The frenzy was largely fueled by clips circulating on WhatsApp and X (formerly Twitter), showing “tank-full” rushes at various bunks in areas like Velachery, Anna Salai, and Saidapet. These videos, often accompanied by unverified claims that stocks would run out by the weekend, prompted even casual commuters to join the queues.

At a Bharat Petroleum outlet in Velachery, sales figures told a startling story. A station manager reported that petrol sales nearly doubled, jumping from a daily average of 15,000 litres to over 26,000 litres in a single 24-hour cycle.

“I usually spend two minutes at the pump. Today, I’ve been waiting for twenty,” said K. Mahesh, a local IT professional. “I saw a video saying prices would hit ₹150 or the pumps would close, so I didn’t want to take any chances.”

The LPG Link: Why People Are Scared

The anxiety isn’t entirely baseless, though it may be misplaced regarding petrol. The rush follows a genuine, well-documented shortage of commercial and domestic LPG cylinders across India.

Due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz caused by the Israel-Iran conflict, the Union Government recently invoked the Essential Commodities Act to prioritize gas for households. This has already hit Chennai’s hospitality and transport sectors:

• Auto-Rickshaws: Nearly 25% of the city’s LPG-run autos have been off the road due to dry pumps.
• Restaurants: Many small eateries have limited their menus or switched to firewood and induction cooktops as commercial cylinder supplies dwindled.

Motorists fear that if gas is being rationed, petrol and diesel might be next.

Government and Oil Companies Issue Clarifications

Authorities have moved quickly to dispel the “dry pump” narrative. Union Minister Piyush Goyal and state officials have issued statements confirming that while the global situation is being monitored, India’s petrol and diesel stocks are stable.

Fuel Type	Status in Chennai	Official Stance
Petrol	Available	No supply disruption; stocks are adequate.
Diesel	Available	Regular deliveries continue; no price hike planned.
LPG	Rationed	Prioritized for domestic use; commercial supply limited.

Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have also sent out SMS alerts to consumers, urging them not to indulge in panic buying, which creates “artificial scarcity” by depleting local pump stocks faster than tankers can refill them.

The Ground Reality

While the government maintains that supply lines are open, the logistical strain is visible. Some private outlets have temporarily closed simply because they ran out of their daily quota in a few hours due to the “tank-full” trend.

Experts suggest that the current rush is a classic case of misinformation-driven demand. India has significantly diversified its oil sourcing, with a 45% increase in Russian crude imports this month to offset West Asian disruptions, ensuring that the wheels of the city keep turning.