Petrol nears Rs 90/litre in Mumbai, over Rs 85 in Chennai
New Delhi, Sep 18 : Continuing an upward movement, prices of petrol and diesel scaled new highs on Tuesday, with petrol nearing Rs 90 per litre in Mumbai and crossing Rs 84 in Kolkata.
Petrol was selling at record Rs 89.54 per litre in Mumbai, 10 paise up from its previous high, the data from Indian Oil Corp's website showed.
Prices in Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai also touched unprecedented levels of Rs 82.16, Rs 84.01 and Rs 85.41 per litre respectively, up from Monday's Rs 82.06, Rs 83.91 and Rs 85.31 per litre.
The cost of transportation fuel has been on the rise since August 1, largely because of high crude oil prices and falling rupee. Depreciation in the Indian rupee against the US dollar makes the import of crude oil expensive as transaction is done in dollars.
Sector experts feel that high excise duty in the country also aided the high prices.
In line with petrol, diesel prices also scaled new highs on Tuesday.
In Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, diesel prices touched fresh highs of Rs 73.87, Rs 78.42 and Rs 78.10, up from the previous levels of Rs 73.78, Rs 78.33 and Rs 78 per litre.
In Kolkata, the fuel was sold at Rs 75.72, against Monday's Rs 75.63 per litre. The highest-ever diesel price in the city is Rs 75.82, recorded on September 11.
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India describes attack on Fujairah 'unacceptable'
New Delhi (PTI): India on Tuesday described the wounding of three Indians in an attack on the United Arab Emirates' port city of Fujairah as "unacceptable" and pressed for an immediate cessation of hostilities targeting innocent civilians.
New Delhi's reaction came a day after the Indians were injured after a drone attack caused a fire at a major oil industry zone in Fujairah. The UAE had accused Iran of carrying out the strike.
"The attack on Fujairah that resulted in injury to three Indian nationals is unacceptable," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
"We call for immediate cessation of these hostilities and the targeting of civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians," the spokesperson said.
Jaiswal said India continued to stand for dialogue and diplomacy to deal with the situation so that peace and stability could be restored across West Asia.
"We also call for free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the Strait of Hormuz in keeping with international law. India stands ready to support all efforts for a peaceful resolution of issues," he said.
The attack on Fujairah city came as the ceasefire between the US and Iran came under strain in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and gas pass, remains a major sticking point in the talks. Shipping through the narrow Gulf waterway has been severely disrupted by the conflict, triggering a sharp increase in oil prices and energy shortages in several countries.
The UAE's defence ministry on Monday said its air defence systems engaged 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones launched from Iran.
The ministry affirmed that it "remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront anything that aims to undermine the security of the country."
