Petrol nears Rs 90/litre in Mumbai, over Rs 82 in Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 17 : Domestic fuel prices continued to scale new heights on Monday, with the price of petrol nearing the psychological Rs 90 a litre-mark in Mumbai with the fuel selling at Rs 89.44 under the dynamic pricing regime.
As per rates released daily by state-run Indian Oil Corp, the depreciating rupee and expensive crude oil further pushed petrol and diesel to new record highs on Monday.
Petrol in Delhi, which is cheapest among the four metros due to lower taxes, crossed Rs 82 on Monday, rising to Rs 82.06 per litre, while it increased in Kolkata and Chennai to Rs 83.91 and Rs 85.31, respectively.
Similarly, diesel prices rose on Monday in Delhi and Kolkata to Rs 73.78 and Rs 75.63 per litre, respectively, and climbed to Rs 78 and Rs 78.33 per litre in Chennai and Mumbai, respectively.
Fuel prices in the country have been rising almost daily since August 1. They fell only once on August 13 and have been on record levels for over two weeks now.
Sector experts say a weak rupee and high excise duty are major factors for the rise in fuel prices.
Inflationary risks along with broadly negative global cues depressed the Indian rupee to a new low of 72.91 against the US dollar.
Also, high global crude oil cost has become a major concern for the country, which imports over 80 per cent of its oil requirements. The UK Brent crude oil price hovers around $78 per barrel.
Since the start of the calendar year, the petrol price in Delhi has gone up by over 15 per cent from Rs 69.97 on January 1, 2018. The hike in diesel price has been even more steep. It has gone up by more than 22 per cent since January 1 when it cost Rs 59.70.
Last week, the West Bengal government reduced the excise on petrol and diesel by Re 1 per litre each.
The Karnataka government announced on Monday that petrol and diesel will be cheaper by Rs 2 per litre each across the state from Tuesday following the reduction in cess on these fuels.
As per the country's pricing mechanism, the domestic fuel prices depend upon the international fuel prices on a 15-day average and the value of the rupee.
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Two held in UP's Bijnor for contact with Pakistan linked Dubai handler
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Bijnor (PTI): Two men were arrested in this Uttar Pradesh district on Friday for allegedly being in touch with a Pakistan-linked handler based in Dubai, police said.
Circle Officer, Najibabad, Anjani Kumar Chaturvedi said Uvaid Malik and Jalal Haider were arrested following inputs on their alleged links with Aqib, a resident of Meerut currently staying in Dubai.
According to police, Aqib had earlier come into the spotlight after a video surfaced on Instagram purportedly showing him displaying an AK-47 rifle and explosives.
During interrogation, the arrested men allegedly told police that Aqib used to incite youngsters against Hindus and encourage anti-national activities, the officer said, adding that detailed questioning of the accused is underway.
On April 6, Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Jha said the video first surfaced in November last year. Aqib, a native of Sathla village in the Mawana area of Meerut, was allegedly seen in the video brandishing weapons.
Following the viral clip, a case was registered at the Nangal police station by sub-inspector Vinod Kumar. However, the then station house officer and investigating officer Satyendra Singh had recorded Aqib's statement and filed a final report, stating that the weapons seen in the video were toys, effectively giving him a clean chit.
Police said fresh developments have now revealed Aqib's suspicious links and the probe has been handed over to the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS).
The SP said action has been taken against the officials concerned, with the then SHO and investigating officer suspended and Circle Officer Nitesh Pratap Singh removed from his post.
