Long queues at petrol bunks

KARNATAKA - BENGALURU - 17/04/2015 : PANIC BUYING... Cars and Two wheelers throng petrol bunk to fuel, on Vital Mallya road, in the evening hours, creating traffic jam around the area, as some of the state owned oil outlets ran out of stock, both Petrol and Diesel, and Karnataka bandh called on by various Kannada organisation and activists, in Bengaluru on April 17, 2015. Photo K Murali Kumar.

Motorists were caught unaware as several petrol bunks in the city put up ‘no stock’ sign on Friday.

This led to serpentine queues in stations that were dispensing fuel. The long lines of vehicles spilled on to roads affecting vehicular traffic during peak evening hour, especially in the Central Business District.

The shortage of fuel was caused by a flash strike by truck drivers.

Anand K., who was driving from Banashankari to the Central Business District, went to three bunks only to see the no-stock sign. “At the fourth petrol bunk, the queue stretched to around half a kilometre. I knew that there would be no fuel by the time my turn came. I was forced to return home and park the car,” he said.

On Sankey Road, the queue disrupted traffic at the Cauvery junction. Similar scenes were witnessed in Chamarajpet, where two petrol bunks had very long queues.

Stranded netizens took to social media to vent their frustration. Manisha Bhat said on Twitter, “Never had I stood in a petrol bunk, fighting for petrol for an hour and half. Thank you, #Bangalore, for this experience!”