LUCKNOW, March 29 -- The panic that had gripped fuel stations in Lucknow over the past two days almost faded on Saturday, with the situation returning to normal by the afternoon.

Although there was some rush at a few petrol pumps in the morning, the long queues and huge crowds seen earlier were missing as the day went on. By afternoon, most petrol pumps had very few vehicles, and there was no waiting. There were also no reports of fuel shortage anywhere in the city.

A ground check by HT on the third day showed that people were no longer panic buying fuel. In the afternoon, most petrol pumps were nearly empty, with only a few vehicles coming in for regular refuelling. The crowd seen earlier was no longer present.

Rajeev Shrivastava, a r...