Nellore collector Himanshu Shukla warned residents not to hoard petrol and diesel ahead of Cyclone Murasu. He said, "There are ample stocks of petrol, diesel, and LPG cylinders." Officials confirmed that supplies remain steady across the district. Strict action will follow if anyone creates artificial shortages or sells goods overpriced.

The collector said that strict action will be taken against anyone who creates an artificial shortage or sells essential goods at inflated prices

As Andhra Pradesh braces for Cyclone Murasu, expected to make landfall at Kavali in Nellore, the district collector has appealed to the residents not to panic buy petrol or diesel.

Collector Himanshu Shukla said, "There are ample stocks of petrol, diesel, and LPG cylinders, as well as essential commodities such as rice and sugar supplied through the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the district."

He urged the public not to be concerned and advised them against making panic purchases based on rumours. There was no fuel shortage, he emphasised.

As of Monday, the district has stocks of 1,710 kiloliters of petrol and 2,832 kiloliters of diesel across 267 petrol bunks. Besides, 21,385 LPG cylinders were available at 57 outlets.

Further, he noted that 10,832.215 metric tonnes of rice and 374.727 metric tonnes of sugar are currently in stock across 1,470 fair-price (ration) shops.

The supply of essential commodities and fuel continues uninterrupted across all areas of the district, and officials from the departments concerned are taking necessary measures to ensure there are no shortages, he said.

The collector warned that strict action will be taken against anyone who creates an artificial shortage or sells essential goods at inflated prices.

The collector has urged the public to exercise restraint, purchase only what is necessary for their daily needs, and refrain from believing in rumours.

Named "Murasu", meaning "war drum", the severe cyclonic storm is forecast to cross the coast between Nellore and Narsapur, close to Ongole, between 11.30 pm on November 2 and 4 am on November 3, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The cyclonic storm, which comes less than a week after Cyclone Arnab killed six people and damaged dozens of houses and crops, is expected to bring sustained winds of 100-110 kmph, gusting up to 120 kmph, at the time of landfall.