UP ambulance denied fuel: A 50-year-old man died in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia, after a private ambulance rushing him to the hospital was allegedly denied fuel by a petrol pump. The police have registered a case against the fuel station manager under provisions of the Essential Commodities Act. 

Ambulance ferrying patient reached fuel station

According to police, the ambulance ferrying a critically ill patient arrived at the M/s Bhushan Service Station in Tengrahi village of the district on April 22. The ambulance driver cited an emergency, despite which the petrol pump personnel did not provide him the fuel, claiming they had run out on the same. Owing to this, the vehicle remained stationed at the facility for about 15 minutes. However, later the official records revealed that the petrol station had ample stock at the time, including 4594 litres of petrol, 4784 litres of diesel and 3475 litres of premium petrol. The discrepancy intensified scrutiny over the pump’s conduct. 

During a preliminary probe, the manager of the station acknowledged that the ambulance had arrived for a fuel refill, but maintained that supply constraints prevented immediate assistance. However, this claim was contradicted by the stock records cited in the FIR. 

UP ambulance denied fuel: Family alleges negligence

The patient who died due to delay in reaching the hospital has been identified as Chhatthu Sharma (50), a resident of Pandeypur village in Bairia tehsil. He had fallen ill on the night of April 22, after which he was being rushed to the district hospital by means of a private ambulance. 

His family alleged that the station’s refusal to cater to fuel demands led to a critical delay, resulting in Sharma’s death before he could receive treatment. After their complaint, an inquiry was initiated into the incident. 

Administration begins probe

District Magistrate Mangla Prasad Singh said that a high-level probe was conducted under the supervision of Additional District Magistrate. Based on the findings, the administrative officials directed the police to register an FIR against the petrol pump manager.

The findings were also backed by CCTV footage from the petrol pump, which shows the ambulance arriving there and being parked for a certain time, as the fuel demands were not catered to. Officials said that representatives from the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) have inspected the site, and further action against the petrol pump is likely.

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