Petrol crosses Rs 100 in Bengaluru - 3rd metro after Mumbai and Hyderabad
New Delhi: Bengaluru on Friday became the third metro city in the country to see petrol price cross Rs 100 per litre mark after fuel prices were raised yet again.
Petrol price was hiked by 27 paise per litre and diesel by 28 paise, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers.
The hike -- 26th in less than seven weeks -- pushed fuel prices across the country to new historic highs.
In Delhi, petrol hit an all-time high of Rs 96.93 a litre, while diesel is now priced at Rs 87.69 per litre.
Fuel prices differ from state to state depending on the incidence of local taxes such as VAT and freight charges.
And because of this, petrol retails at over Rs 100 per litre mark in eight states and union territories -- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
While several districts of Karnataka already had petrol price over Rs 100, state capital Bengaluru reached the mark on Friday. Petrol in the city is now priced at Rs 100.17 per litre and diesel at Rs 92.97.
Bengaluru is the third metro city to see Rs 100 per litre petrol price. Mumbai on May 29 became the first metro in the country where petrol was being sold at over Rs 100 a litre. Petrol now costs Rs 103.08 a litre in the city and diesel comes for Rs 95.14.
The fuel touched that mark in Hyderabad earlier this week.
While Leh already had Rs 100 per litre petrol, Srinagar joined the league on Friday. Petrol at Indian Oil Corp (IOC) pumps in the city costs Rs 99.99 a litre and that on HPCL outlets at Rs 100.04.
Rates vary by a few paise from company to company in a city.
Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan near the India-Pakistan border was the first place in the country to see petrol hitting Rs 100 a litre mark in mid-February and last week it also earned the distinction of diesel crossing that psychological mark.
Petrol in the city is sold at Rs 108.07 a litre - the highest rate in the country, and diesel comes for Rs 100.82.
Rajasthan levies the highest VAT on petrol and diesel in the country, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The hike on Friday was the 26th increase in prices since May 4, when state-owned oil firms ended a 18-day hiatus in rate revision they observed during assembly elections in states like West Bengal.
In 26 hikes , petrol price has risen by Rs 6.53 per litre and diesel by Rs 6.96 a litre.
Oil companies revise rates of petrol and diesel daily based on the average price of benchmark fuel in the international market in the preceding 15 days, and foreign exchange rates.
International oil prices have firmed in recent weeks in anticipation of demand recovery following the rollout of vaccination programme by various countries. Also, the rupee has weakened against the US dollar, making imports costlier.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms likely to lash Uttarakhand on Tuesday; IMD issues warning
Dehradun/Pithoragarh (PTI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for heavy rain and hailstorms across several districts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, as temperatures remained markedly below normal in the region.
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Most places across all districts are expected to receive light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, while higher reaches are likely to witness snowfall, officials said on Monday.
The weather department warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and intense spells of rain in six districts, including Dehradun and Nainital. Gusty winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kmph are also expected at isolated locations in these areas and other hilly districts.
In the state capital, Dehradun, the sky is forecast to remain partly cloudy with light rain and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 30-40 kmph.
The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Maximum temperatures during the past 24 hours remained markedly below normal in the hills and appreciably below normal in the plains. While no significant change in temperature is expected over the next 2-3 days, the IMD predicts a rise of 3-5 degrees Celsius during the subsequent 3-4 days.
Rainfall was recorded in several areas after 8.30 am today, with Ramnagar receiving 31.5 mm and Nainital recording 26.5 mm. Other areas, including Pithoragarh, Khatima and Champawat, also reported moderate precipitation.
Authorities have stopped a batch of 36 Adi Kailash pilgrims at the Dharchula base camp and placed the high-altitude yatra route on high alert following heavy rains and hailstorms in the district on Monday.
Dharchula SDM Ashish Joshi said the pilgrimage was halted due to adverse weather conditions. The issuance of new inner-line passes has been suspended until the weather normalises.
With 1,700 passes issued so far, pilgrims already at higher camps are being monitored for safety, the official added.
