Petrol prices just 3 paise away from hitting all-time highs; rates revised after 29-day hiatus

New Delhi: Petrol price on Wednesday was just 3 paise short of hitting all-time high after state-owned oil marketing companies hiked rates after 29 day hiatus.

Petrol price was raised by 26 paise per litre and diesel by 25 paise a litre, according to a price notification from oil marketing companies. After this increase, petrol in Delhi climbed to Rs 83.97 per litre from Rs 83.71 previously. Diesel rates rose to Rs 74.12 per litre from Rs 73.87. In Mumbai, diesel touched an all-time high of Rs 80.78.

This is the first price revision in nearly a month and rates are now near an all-time high. Fuel prices were hiked for the sixth straight day on December 7 by the oil marketing companies leading rates to touch 2-yrear high.

Highest ever rate of Rs 84 a litre for petrol in Delhi was touched on October 4, 2018. Diesel too had scaled to an all-time high of Rs 75.45 a litre on October 4, 2018.

On that day, the government cut excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 1.50 per litre in a bid to ease inflationary pressure and boost consumer confidence. Alongside, state-owned fuel retailers cut prices by another Re 1 a litre, which they recouped later.

Since May 2020, petrol price has risen by Rs 14.28 per litre and diesel by Rs 11.83 a litre, price notifications of oil companies showed.

When petrol scaled its highest levels in Delhi on October 4, 2018, the fuel touched a new high of Rs 91.34 in Mumbai. On Wednesday it costs Rs 90.60 a litre in Mumbai. Diesel in Mumbai on Wednesday at Rs 80.78 a litre is higher than the October 4, 2018 rate of Rs 80.10.

International Oil prices rose on Wednesday to their highest since February 2020. Brent crude rose as much as 0.9% to $54.09 a barrel, the highest since Feb. 26, 2020. It was at $53.82 a barrel at 0757 GMT after jumping 4.9% on Tuesday. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures climbed as much as 0.6% to $50.24 a barrel, also the highest since Feb. 26, before slipping to $49.96. The contract on Tuesday closed up 4.6%, a Reuters report said.

With Agency  Inputs