Fuel Crisis Hits Jamshedpur: Pumps Run Dry as Technical Glitch Halts Petrol-Diesel Supply

Jamshedpur: A severe shortage of petrol and diesel continued to grip Steel City today. The city’s fuel supply system completely collapsed, leaving most petrol pumps dry and causing immense hardship for commuters. Depleted oil stocks forced operators at several major fuel stations to lock up, triggering panic and chaos as motorists scrambled across the city looking for fuel.

At the Sidhgora petrol pump, petrol stocks ran out completely, leaving only diesel available. Meanwhile, the Tiwari Bechar petrol pump in Bistupur managed to supply both petrol and diesel, attracting massive crowds and resulting in long, winding queues of vehicles.

Empty Pumps and Long Queues

In contrast, a dead silence enveloped the petrol pump near the Bistupur roundabout because it lacked petrol. A similar fuel crunch plagued the Kadma petrol pump, where motorists had to wait in long lines. Over in Burma Mines, the local station ran completely out of both petrol and diesel during the day, forcing the management to shut down operations.

Technical Glitch at Ethanol Blending Pump Disrupts Supply

According to the administration and pump operators, an oil shortage did not cause this crisis; rather, a major technical failure at the Bokaro Depot disrupted the supply chain.

The depot’s “blending pump,” which mixes ethanol into petrol, broke down. Government regulations mandate a 20% ethanol blend in petrol, but the faulty mixing pump disrupted this balance.

Furthermore, even the slightest trace of moisture causes ethanol to chemically react with water, making it heavy so it settles at the bottom of the fuel tank. Because the system failed to blend the fuel properly, the petrol and ethanol separated, leading consumers to believe that dealers had mixed water into the petrol. Authorities clarified that the issue originated directly within the depot’s mixing system, not at the retail petrol pumps.

Dealers Halt Supply Pending Quality Checks

Taking a strict stance on the crisis, petrol pump dealers and transporters refused to lift fuel from the depot until authorities conducted thorough quality checks. This precautionary safety decision caused a two-day gap in the supply chain.

Pump operators believe that once technicians completely repair the depot’s mixing pump and streamline the inspection process, petrol and diesel supplies across the city will return to normal within the next one to two days.