Petrol and diesel rates scale new highs

While rates were not changed on Monday, a 10 paise per litre hike in petrol price and a 9 paise a litre increase in diesel was effected Tuesday, according to a price notification of state-owned oil marketing companies.

Petrol in Delhi now costs Rs 82.16 per litre and diesel is priced at Rs 73.87 a litre.

In Mumbai, petrol priced touched an all-time high of Rs 89.54 per litre. It costs Rs 83.91 in Kolkata and Rs 85.31 in Chennai.

A litre of diesel in Mumbai costs Rs 78.42, Rs 75.53 in Kolkata and Rs 78 in Chennai, according to the notification.

Delhi has the cheapest fuel rates among all metros and most state capitals because of lower taxes. Mumbai has the highest sales tax or value added tax (VAT).

A combination of a dip in rupee value against the US dollar and rise in crude oil prices has led to a spike in fuel prices since mid-August. Petrol price has since risen by Rs 5.02 per litre and diesel by Rs 5.15 -- the most in any one-month period since the daily revision in fuel prices was introduced in June last year.

Rates vary from city to city and from pump to pump depending on local taxes and transportation cost.

The deadly cocktail of high oil prices and depreciating rupee has made imports costlier and led to a surge in fuel prices.

Price of Brent crude, benchmark for half the world's oil including India's, was hovering around USD 80 per barrel while rupee traded at 72.8112 to a US dollar Tuesday, nearing a record low of 72.9138 touched last week.

India is 81 per cent import dependent to meet its oil needs.