For a second consecutive day, Goa has witnessed panic buying of petrol and diesel, with serpentine queues seen at almost all fuel stations in the State. The third tanker has docked at Mormugao Port, with officials claiming that the State has 15-day fuel reserves. The Centre reiterated on Thursday that 60 days of oil stocks and 800,000 tonnes of LPG are secured. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dismissed fears while pointing to the 53 lakh metric tonnes of strategic reserves.
Despite all those assurances, the panic buying of fuel continued unabated on Thursday. Last evening, several pumps had to shut shop because of depleted stocks on account of the surge in refuelling. There were no takers for Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s appeal not to panic. A few of the proprietors of these fuel stations made personal appeals via social media, but that too did not work.
In an era of social media and viral videos, misleading messages on various platforms have triggered fears. Also, the message by the PM earlier in the week to brace up for a Covid-type situation has been misread. Moreover, Iran has signalled that the war will lead to a massive disruption of fuel supplies across the world amid indications that they are weaponising energy supplies in response to military actions against its country. That being said, the PM has constituted seven empowered groups of secretaries and experts to study the impact of war on the India economy and address critical challenges on energy supplies and essential commodities.
The panic buying despite multiple assurances, both at the State and Central level, exposes a deep-rooted lack of confidence among citizens in the Indian government’s ability to ensure continuity of supplies and manage the crises effectively. It is amply clear that there is a trust deficit which cannot be resolved through mere assurances. The scenes of people filling small bottles and topping up their vehicle tanks highlight a fundamental distrust in official claims, with many believing that shortages are imminent and deliberately hidden.
Trust is the foundation of effective crisis management, and once eroded, it’s always going to be difficult to handle. The only option here is to show transparency through numbers of supply levels, use social media outreach and other platforms to create awareness and wait till the panic subsides. Since the State has enough reserves, panic buying should not be a problem either way.
These are troubled times, and need to be handled with the sensitivity they deserve. The country was brought to its knees during the pandemic, and any attempt to reconnect would obviously spark unnecessary fear. The broader stock markets have shown similar sentiments with both Nifty and Sensex witnessing bloodbath ever since the war broke out. The fear of disruptions due to geopolitical conflicts has intensified public anxiety, and there is palpable panic because fuel is the lifeline of people and livelihoods. Goa is feeling the heat on LPG despite the assurances from the State government.
The behaviour of citizens has spiralled out of hand and cannot be remedied by promises alone. Restoring trust requires consistent, transparent, and credible actions that demonstrate the government’s commitment to safeguarding citizens’ interests, especially in times of crisis. Until then, the cycle of panic and hoarding is likely to continue, undermining not only fuel supplies but also the social fabric that holds the community together.
