NEW DELHI, May 23 � In the steepest ever increase, petrol rates were today raised by a massive Rs 7.54 per litre, the first hike in rates in six months, reports PTI.
Petrol price in Delhi has been hiked by Rs 7.54 per litre to Rs 73.18 a litre with effect from midnight tonight, state-owned oil companies said in separate but identical press announcements.
This is the steepest hike in petrol price ever, the previous high being Rs 5 per litre. Oil firms had twice raised rates by Rs 5 per litre - on May 15, 2011 when prices in Delhi were hiked from Rs 58.37 a litre to Rs 63.37 per litre and on May 24, 2008 when rates were raised to Rs 50.56 a litre.
The Government had decontrolled petrol price in June 2010 but rates were last increased on November 4 last year. This despite oil price rising by 14.5 per cent and 3.2 per cent fall in value of rupee against the US dollar.
Petrol in Mumbai will cost Rs 78.57 per litre as against Rs 70.66 a litre, at present. In Kolkata, the increase will be Rs 7.85 per litre to Rs 77.88 per litre and Chennai saw rates going up by Rs 7.98 to Rs 77.53 per litre.
Yesterday, Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy had stated that the depreciation in rupee had necessitated an immediate increase in fuel prices.
State-owned oil firms, which had in the fiscal ending March 31, 2012 lost Rs 4,860 crore on petrol sales, were currently losing Rs 6.28 per litre on petrol.
The losses on petrol are besides Rs 512 crore per day that oil firms lose on selling diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene. Diesel is currently sold at a loss of Rs 15.35 a litre, kerosene at Rs 32.98 per litre loss and oil firms lose Rs 479 on sale of every 14.2-kg domestic LPG cylinder.
The three firms had together lost Rs 138,541 crore in revenue in 2011-12. This year they are projected to lose a record Rs 193,880 crore.
Rs 78 in city: According to the North East Petroleum Dealers Association, Greater Guwahati unit, buyers would now be required to pay around Rs 78 per litre of petrol. The petrol pumps in the capital city remained closed today, responding to the call of the association protesting violation of Gauhati High Court interim relief to a retail outlet by the IOCL. - staff reporter
