CNG prices hiked by ₹1.70/kg, PNG cost go up by ₹1.30/scm
THE NEW PRICE IN DELHI FOR CNG WILL BE ₹44.30 PER KILOGRAM. THE PNG PRICE IN DELHI AFTER REVISION WILL BE ₹29.55 PER SCM
NEW DELHI: The retail prices of domestically-produced Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Piped Natural Gas (PNG) were hiked on Sunday by the Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL). For Delhi, the consumer price has been hiked by ₹1.70 per kg and for Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad, the price has been increased by ₹1.95 per kg. The new prices will be effective from September 30 midnight.
The new price in Delhi for CNG will be ₹44.30 per kilogram. The PNG price in Delhi has been increased by ₹1.30 per standard cubic metre (scm) to ₹29.55 per scm. At present, PNG is being supplied to over 6.5 lakh households in Delhi.
“The revision in the retail prices of CNG and PNG was done after taking into account an overall impact on cost as a result of the government’s recent notification for increasing prices of domestically-produced gas and appreciation of the dollar as compared to rupee since the last price revision,” said a statement issued by IGL.
According to IGL, the revised prices would have a marginal impact on the per kilogram running cost of vehicles. For autos, the increase would be 5 paisa per kilometre, for taxis it would be 8 paisa per kilometres and in case of buses, the increase would be 48 paise per kilometre.
Meanwhile, the release said, IGL will continue to offer a discount of ₹1.50 per kg on CNG for filling between 12.30am to 5.30am at select outlets.
With the revised price, CNG will still be offering over 61% savings towards running cost when compared to petrol-driven vehicles at the current level of prices. When compared to diesel-driven vehicles, the economics in favour of CNG at revised price would be over 40%.
The hike in CNG rates, however, will affect the large number of cabs and auto-rickshaws plying in Delhi-ncr which have largely converted to clean fuel over the past few years. Delhi has around 1.2 lakh auto-rickshaws plying in it.
According to Sarvodya Delhi Association of Drivers (SDAD) president Kamaljeet Gill, around 3 lakh cabs ply in DelhiNCR, and these vehicles will be adversely affected.
The SDAD plans to protest the price hike on October 2 at Jantar Mantar. “Cab drivers anyway earn less plying at ₹6 per km. The hike in CNG prices will burn a hole in our pockets. The government is increasing prices of all essential commodities and making it difficult for the low-income households to survive,” said Gill.