New Delhi: Retail price of regular petrol and diesel in the city of Mumbai may soon cross Rs 100 a litre and Rs 90 a litre respectively, its highest level ever, with prices of the two auto fuels being revised upwards again by Oil marketing companies (OMCs) Tuesday.
Petrol prices in Mumbai rose by 26 paisa to Rs 98.12 a litre Tuesday. Similarly, diesel prices in the city also rose 31 paisa per litre to Rs 89.48, the highest in all four major metro cities in the country.
Premium petrol prices have also already crossed the Rs 100 per litre mark in the city and other parts of the country through increase in the retail rates in the month of January and February. In fact, even regular petrol prices are already over Rs 100 per litre in parts of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
The Tuesday’s price rise by OMCs is second consecutive such revision this week. Even last week, fuel prices increased on four consecutive days before a pause during the weekend.
The fuel price rise has made auto fuels touch new highs every day. Before this year, Petrol and diesel prices reached the highest level in October 2018 when crude prices were over $80 a barrel. The all time high levels of petrol and diesel reached this year even though crude is still around $68 a barrel.
The Tuesday’s price rise has made petrol and diesel prices dearer across the country but its quantum varied depending on the level of local levies in respective states.
Prior to holding back auto fuel prices on Saturday and Sunday, its pump rates had increased sharply on previous four days. Petrol and diesel prices rose by 15 paisa and 18 paisa per litre respectively on Tuesday, by 19 paisa and 21 paisa per litre respectively on Wednesday, by 25 and 30 paisa respectively on Thursday and by 28 paisa and 31 paisa per litre respectively on Friday after a 18 days break.
IANS had written earlier that OMCs may begin increasing the retail price of petrol and diesel post state elections as they were incurring losses to the tune of Rs 2-3 per litre by holding the price line despite higher global crude and product prices. The oil companies had already increased the ATF prices by 6.7 per cent effective this month.
OMCs benchmark retail fuel prices to a 15-day rolling average of global refined products’ prices and dollar exchange rate. In the last fortnight global oil prices have hovered in $66-67 a barrel range higher than the levels when petrol and diesel prices were last revised. Crude prices have jumped around $68 a barrel now.
The price of the two auto fuels had fallen by 16 paisa and 14 paisa per litre respectively on April 15 after a 15 day break when OMCs kept its prices static. Thereafter revision of fuel prices have been halted.
The OMCs went on price cut for the first time this year on two consecutive days – March 24 and 25 after keeping oil prices steady for past 24 days. It again reduced the price on March 30. Thereafter, fuel prices have remained unchanged for 15 days before falling again on April 15. In all petrol prices have fallen by 77 paisa per litre while diesel by 74 paisa per litre in 2021 so far.
Earlier, petrol and diesel prices increased 26 times in 2021 with the two auto fuels increasing by Rs 7.46 and Rs 7.60 per litre respectively so far this year.
With global crude prices at around $68 a barrel mark, OMCs may have to revise fuel prices upwards again if there is any further firming up.