(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Even as the central government discusses measures to curb the persistent rise in domestic transport fuel prices, the petrol cost in Mumbai breached the Rs85 a litre mark yesterday.
The price of the fuel is already at an all-time high in Mumbai at Rs85.29 per litre along with Delhi and Chennai.
In Delhi and Chennai, petrol was sold for Rs77.47 and Rs80.42 per litre respectively, according to data on the website of Indian Oil Corporation.
On Wednesday, following a Cabinet meeting, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that high transport fuel cost is a matter of both concern and discussion and that government is trying to find a long-term solution to the problem which has arisen out of global crude oil price volatility.
'The issue of the frequent hike in fuel prices has become a matter of discussion and concern and the government is involved in the whole process of concern and uncertainty, Prasad said.
'In view of the global uncertainty on oil prices, the government is looking at the desirability of taking a long-term view to deal with the issue of volatility and the frequent ambiguity arising out of the fluctuation in prices.
Kolkata yesterday joined the club of cities with petrol prices over Rs80 per litre, at Rs80.12, the highest in nearly four years.
The persistent rise in transport fuel prices in the country is largely attributed to the surge in crude oil prices and high excise duty. The price of Brent crude oil is currently over $79 per barrel.
In addition, diesel prices, which have already reached unprecedented levels, set new records across the country. In Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, it was sold at Rs68.53, Rs71.08, Rs72.96 and Rs72.35 per litre respectively.
Meanwhile the opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) yesterday took to the streets in Mumbai and other places in Maharashtra to protest against record prices of petrol and diesel.
Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam led a huge protest march of party activists and citizens from Santa Cruz East on the busy Western Express Highway to the Mumbai suburban district collectorate in Bandra East.
En route, the protesters carrying banners and placards raised slogans against the central government.
They recalled the old tweets of Narendra Modi when he was the Gujarat chief minister, Sushma Swaraj and other BJP leaders when they were in opposition, as well as those of Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar who had strongly criticised the then UPA government over increased fuel prices.
MENAFN2405201800670000ID1096905772
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.