Times Of India - Diesel Consumption In Chennai, Neighboring Cities Up 35% In Past 3 Months

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According to information available from the three oil companies — Hindustan Petroleum, Bharat Petroleum and Indian Oil Company — diesel consumption in Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts has shot up by 35% in the last three months compared to the corresponding period last year. In the whole of Tamil Nadu, the increase is 25%, the companies say. "In Hindustan Petroleum alone, which has 140 retail outlets in the three districts, the sale of diesel has increased by 37% in the last three months compared to the corresponding period last year, whereas the increase was only 7% in 2006-07 and 12% in 2007-08," a senior official in IOC told The Times of India .

Oil company officials themselves wondered if this was "an abnormal and unprecedented" increase in demand for diesel.

Information with oil companies also reveal that the increase in demand for diesel in the whole of Tamil Nadu was only 1% in 2006-07 whereas it was 21% in 2007-08. The scarcity was only for diesel and not petrol.

The companies say people need not panic about the shortage of petrol, whose sale had increased by only 15% —as expected by them — in the last three months against the corresponding period last year. According to petroleum dealers, the city had just about 150 to 160 fuel outlets five years ago: today their number has doubled. In the state, the number of fuel outlets has increased from 1,600 to 3,300 in the last five years. At present, average sale of diesel is 2,000 kilolitre everyday in Chennai, while petrol sale is 1,300 kilolitre per day.

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chennai/Diesel_usage_up_by_35/articleshow/3395003.cms