Trucker drivers' protest: Long queues at petrol pumps in Hyderabad amid fuel shortage fear

A petrol retail outlet owner told a TV channel that fuel supply to petrol pumps in the city was indeed hit by to the truck drivers’ protest since Monday.

Long queues were witnessed at petrol pumps in several parts of Hyderabad on Tuesday as people thronged them fearing shortage of fuel amid a protest by truck drivers against a provision in the new penal law on hit-and-run accident cases involving motorists.

As a large number of motorists gathered at the fuel outlets for petrol and diesel, the queues spilled over to the main roads, resulting in traffic jams at several places for some time, though it was brought under control by evening, police officials said. "(Fuel) availability is there. People are apprehensive that due to the agitation by truck drivers, it may not be available and they are going to petrol pumps in large numbers, following which queues were formed and subsequently spilled over to the roads resulting in traffic jams initially," a senior police official said.

A petrol retail outlet owner told a TV channel that fuel supply to petrol pumps in the city was indeed hit by to the truck drivers’ protest since Monday. Barricades were also seen at some petrol pumps in the city even as some motorists complained that they were unable to fill fuel in their vehicles as some of the outlets were "closed" and due to which they faced problems.