Bhubaneswar, May 14: The Odisha government on Thursday clarified that there is no fuel crisis in the state and appealed to people not to panic or believe rumours regarding the shortage of petrol and diesel.

Principal Secretary of the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department, Sanjay Kumar Singh, said Odisha currently has adequate stock of petrol and diesel and less than one per cent of petrol pumps in the state are facing temporary shortages.

Addressing the media, Singh said there are nearly 2,850 petrol pumps across Odisha, out of which only around 20 to 22 outlets are currently without fuel.

He said the state government is continuously monitoring fuel availability and maintaining data regarding stock levels across districts.

Efforts are underway to restore fuel supply to the affected petrol pumps at the earliest, he added.

The official informed that both state-level and district-level Crisis Management Teams have been formed to handle the situation. District Collectors are leading the district-level teams and coordinating fuel supply wherever shortages have been reported.

Singh urged people not to panic-buy fuel and advised consumers to purchase only as much petrol or diesel as required.

He further stated that there is no hoarding of fuel anywhere in Odisha and the Supply Department remains in constant touch with oil companies as well as the Government of India to ensure uninterrupted supply.

Warning against black marketing, the senior official said strict action would be taken against retailers allegedly selling petrol at inflated prices ranging from Rs 130 to Rs 140 per litre.

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Meanwhile, the General Secretary of Utkal Petroleum Dealers Association, Sanjay Lath, also dismissed rumours of any impending fuel crisis in the state.

Lath said misinformation regarding a possible fuel price hike from May 15 triggered panic among consumers.

According to him, fuel sales in Odisha have increased by nearly 50 per cent over the last three days due to panic buying.

He said steps are being taken to ensure adequate supply to all petrol pumps and the situation is expected to return to normal within a day or two.

Lath further claimed that Odisha currently has fuel stock sufficient for around 15 days, while India as a whole has petroleum reserves adequate for at least two months.

He appealed to people not to believe rumours or panic unnecessarily over fuel availability.