New Delhi: Around 2,000 petrol pumps across India, have run out of fuel as the protest by truck drivers against a provision in the new penal law on hit-and-run road accidents entered the second day on Tuesday. State-owned oil companies had proactively refilled fuel reserves at numerous petrol stations nationwide in anticipation of an impending truckers' strike. Despite these measures, certain petrol pumps in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Punjab experienced stock shortages as a result of massive demand, industry sources said.

Meanwhile, a major accident was averted at a petrol pump behind Yadav Market, Kanpur after a bike caught fire while filling petrol. The blaze triggered panic at the petrol pump. However, swift action was taken by the petrol pump staff, who promptly removed the bike from the premises and successfully extinguished the flames by dousing it with water. The incident, captured on video, quickly gained netizen's attention as it went viral on social media.

For the unversed, the agitation by truck drivers against a provision in the new penal law on hit-and-run road accidents entered the second day on Tuesday, leading to non-delivery of petroleum products at depots in Maharashtra and people rushing to petrol pumps amid the fear of fuel shortage.

The truck drivers had staged protests at various places in Maharashtra, including the capital Mumbai, Nagpur, Solapur, Dharashiv, Navi Mumbai, Palghar, Nagpur, Beed, Hingoli, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik, Gadchiroli and Wardha.

Petrol, diesel, kerosene and LPG cylinders could not be transported to dealers and consumers in various parts of the State as drivers of the vehicles used to carry these products did not report at the fuel plants.