Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday cautioned residents against panic buying, warning that petrol pumps across the Union Territory could be ordered to close if such behavior continues.
He reassured the public that there is no shortage of essential fuels, including petrol, diesel, and LPG.
Notably, energy supplies across the world have been severely hit due to the ongoing unrest in the Middle East.
"My earnest request is that you stop camping outside petrol pumps otherwise I will shut all the petrol pumps for the next few days. It's regrettable that when the government speaks, no one listens, but everyone believes the rumours. In a review meeting the other day, it was duly decided that there is currently no shortage of anything—be it diesel, petrol, or LPG cylinders—and even after a couple of days, the situation hasn't changed,” he said while talking to the media.
The J-K CM also said that he would be attending the meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the conflict.
“Nowhere has there been any directive to reduce usage. I appeal to those people who are lining up based on social media rumours: please don't do that. There is a meeting of all CMs with PM Modi tomorrow online, and I will attend that,” he said.
PM Modi to hold nationwide review with states on conflict preparedness
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet with chief ministers from across the country on Friday to review the nation’s preparedness amid the ongoing conflict, now in its fourth week.
However, chief ministers from states where assembly elections are due will not participate, in line with the model code of conduct (MCC). To ensure these regions are also kept in the loop, a separate meeting for the chief secretaries of the poll-bound states will be arranged shortly.
Elections are slated to be held in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, and the union territory of Puducherry. These areas will therefore follow a different review mechanism to maintain compliance with electoral rules.
