LAKHIMPUR KHERI, April 25 -- Even as fuel supplies continued to reach petrol pumps across the district on Friday and authorities reiterated that stocks of petrol and diesel were adequate in Lakhimpur Kheri, rumours of a post-election price hike continued to drive panic buying, with consumers queuing up at retail outlets. The rush was more pronounced in rural areas, where farmers said they urgently needed diesel to irrigate sugarcane and other crops. The surge in demand led to large crowds at several petrol pumps, while others ran out of stock within hours. Seeking to allay fears, district supply officer (DSO) Anjani Kumar Singh said that as of Friday, petrol pumps in the district had 2,141 kilolitres of diesel and 1,575 kilolitres of petrol in stock, with more supplies on the way. He added that 795.54 kilolitres of diesel and 383.58 kilolitres of petrol were sold on Thursday. Abhishek Dixit, district president of the Kheri Petroleum Traders Association (KPTA), said large crowds had led to disorder at some outlets. "Unwarranted scenes are being created at some petrol pumps due to the rush of consumers, who at times misbehave with staff when their fuel demands are not met," he told HT. He added that the KPTA had written to the DSO seeking police deployment at petrol pumps to ensure smooth operations. Dixit said traders were facing a difficult situation due to reduced supplies from OMCs coupled with the surge in consumer demand. Taking note of the situation, the local administration moved to restore order and ensure that essential services were not disrupted. DSO Singh directed all petrol pumps to prioritise fuel supply for emergency and essential services, including 102 and 108 ambulances, police, home guards, fire services and government vehicles....