Fuel price soars again, petrol crosses ₹-92 mark

THE INCREASE COMES AFTER PRICES IN THE CITY REMAINED STEADY FOR TWO DAYS

MUMBAI: Petrol prices on Friday touched a new high in the city. The price of one litre of petrol is now ₹92.04, while one litre of diesel will cost ₹82.40.

The increase comes after the prices remained constant for two days. On January 19, one litre of petrol was available at ₹91.80 and one litre of diesel was available at ₹82.13.

Earlier, the highest petrol price was recorded in October 2018 with a litre costing ₹91.34 in the city, while the highest price of diesel was recorded last week, on January 14, ₹81.60 for one litre.

Fuel prices have increased across all Metro cities in the country. In Delhi, one litre of petrol costs ₹85.45 and one litre of diesel costs ₹75.63.

Transporters across the country have called for an urgent meeting to discuss the rise in fuel prices.

“The government is taking undue advantage of the vulnerability of the consumers. They refused to lower the fuel prices when international crude oil prices plummeted. The Central government has increased the excise duty and the state government has increased the valueadded tax (VAT), making fuel a highly taxed commodity in the world. The high cost of diesel is taking a toll on small operators and if this is not checked, a strong action seems imminent,” said Bal Malkit Singh, chairman, All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC).

Citizens have urged the Maharashtra government to reduce VAT. “The prices of fuel have been increasing constantly. During the pandemic, people have already suffered a lot, the state government should immediately reduce VAT on fuel,” said Aarti Singh, a Vikhroli resident. Earlier on January 14, the AIMTC had written to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray asking to reduce VAT on diesel and petrol in Maharashtra.