Petrol pump closures and price hike amid fuel queues

Kolhapur: Queues at petrol pumps in the district eased slightly on Friday compared to the past two days, though supply disruptions persisted. At least 10 petrol pumps remained shut after failing to make advance payments for newly supplied fuel stock.

While some pumps in the city reported no queues, others continued to see heavy rush and long waiting times.

At Sangli Phata on the Pune–Bengaluru national highway, a petrol pump owner stepped in to support stranded motorists. Raj Korgaonkar distributed water, bananas and sugar to people waiting in the heat.




"People are standing in long queues for hours, and due to the extreme heat, arguments arose between people over taking their vehicles ahead. A few customers had demanded water. Taking note of this, on Thursday noon and on Friday noon, we distributed water, bananas, and some sugar to the customers so that no one would face any health issue due to the heat and long queue," he said.

In a separate development, a private petrol company increased fuel prices by Rs5 per litre from Thursday evening. Petrol pump staff clarified that the company operates independently and is not under govt control.

Meanwhile, the district administration cracked down on the illegal use of domestic LPG cylinders. During a raid at a hotel near Vadange village, officials seized six 14.2kg domestic cylinders being used for commercial purposes. A case has been registered at Karveer police station against the hotel owner.

District collector Amol Yedge said, "Our team carried out a raid and seized six domestic gas cylinders of 14.2 kg LPG being used for commercial purposes. It is mandatory for all wedding halls, lawns, hotels, and establishments providing catering services in the Kolhapur district to use only commercial gas cylinders. Similarly, the use of domestic gas is banned. Still, it has been observed that illegal use of domestic gas cylinders is being done in many places. All business owners are hereby advised not to use domestic gas cylinders, and if anyone is found, then strict action will be taken against them."