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Fuel station owners in Hyderabad and other major cities in Andhra Pradesh went on an indefinite strike and shut their operations in protest against Legal Metrology Department raids.
The department on Saturday had raided fuel stations to check the usage of dispensing pumps that lacked mandatory approval.
Meanwhile, commuters face travel chaos with vehicles trapped in a gridlock.
An irate commuter, Arun, said that the common man had to face the brunt of shutdown and urged the government to take stringent action.
"In last 48 hours these people, they are having some problem with government and the government is doing something with these people in which the common people are suffering. We are terribly suffering of no reason. Why they are doing something? Let them do it but why they are stopping this? Government should take a drastic action," he said.
However, the fuel station owners claimed that the dispensing pumps are purchased, supplied and installed by oil companies.
The three state-run fuel retailers - IOC, Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd - tend to move their prices together.
India liberalised petrol prices in June 2010, but the government continues to unofficially dictate prices to refiners.
