In the wake of the Govt of India's first fuel hike amid 75 days of the West Asia crisis, a logistical bottleneck has emerged across several highway retail outlets in six states, leading to localised supply rationing. Several pumps across India’s highways are silently capping fuel supply or shutting down until the next truck arrives. Business Today gathers insights from a dozen traveler testimonies and field reports.

Business Today gathered that across key circles including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand reveals that several highway retail outlets are grappling with sluggish supplies and significant delivery delays from fuel depots to the pump stations.

In approximately a dozen documented instances, pumps have either temporarily suspended operations or implemented strict rationing to preserve dwindling stocks.

The Oil Ministry, however, denies any shortages or dry outs. "OMCs have not flagged any dry outs or delays to the Ministry, we are not aware of any such instances,'' an Official who did not wish to be named told Business Today. 

In one instance, half a dozen travelers returning from their hometown in Bihar to New Delhi reported a grueling journey of over 1,000 km where they were forced to refuel every few kilometers. From the start of their trip in Bihar all the way to Agra, they were permitted a maximum of only ₹500 worth of petrol per station.

A similar pattern emerged for a couple traveling from Maharashtra to Delhi. As they crossed multiple state borders, they witnessed a consistent capping of supplies at several outlets, with refueling strictly limited to a range of ₹1,000 to ₹2,000.

At several outlets including those operated by public sector undertakings (PSUs) and private players like Jio-bp the message from attendants is the same: conserve what is in the underground tanks until the next replenishment fuel tank truck arrives. Our findings suggest that while average daily stock levels at these high-volume stations typically range between 25,000 and 26,000 liters, current inventory at many surveyed highway stations has plummeted to nearly half roughly 13,000 liters.

Business Today reached out to Reliance regarding the supply gaps at Jio-bp outlets; a response is awaited.

According to the Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC) of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, India’s fuel retail infrastructure recently surpassed the 100,000 petrol pump mark, reaching a total of 100,266 outlets and solidifying its position as the world's third-largest network.

State-owned Oil Marketing Companies, IOCL, BPCL, and HPCL continue to dominate the landscape, controlling approximately 90% of the retail footprint, with Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) alone operating over 41,600 stations.

Meanwhile, private players such as Nayara Energy, Jio-bp (a Reliance-BP joint venture), and Shell now account for roughly 9.3% of the market. This vast network is fed by a complex supply chain where fuel moves from major domestic refineries through a 20,000-km pipeline network to regional depots, before specialized Tank Trucks (TTs) complete the last-mile delivery.

However, because highway and rural outlets now comprise nearly 29% of this total network and are often further from central depots, they remain uniquely vulnerable to the sluggish logistics and delivery delays currently causing localized rationing.

A standard urban pump typically holds 20,000 to 40,000 liters. However, large highway Mega Outlets are designed for a much higher throughput, often holding 50,000 to 70,000 liters. When stocks at these critical junctions drop to the 13,000-liter mark, operators often resort to rationing to prevent a total dry-out before the next tanker arrives.

India’s petrol and diesel primarily originate from massive refineries such as Jamnagar or Vadinar for private players, and Paradip, Panipat, or Mumbai for PSUs.

Published on: May 15, 2026 6:42 PM IST