New Delhi, Jul 13 (IANS): On an upward trajectory since July 5, petrol prices in the financial capital of the country crossed the Rs 84 per litre mark on Friday and was sold at Rs 84.14 a litre.

The cost of the fuel in Mumbai rose 17 paise from Rs 83.97 on Thursday, according to data from the Indian Oil Corp.

In the other major cities of Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, petrol was sold at Rs 76.76, Rs 79.42 and Rs 79.67 per litre, up from Rs 76.59, Rs 79.26 and Rs 79.49 respectively on Thursday.

In Mumbai, along with the other metros prices rose to unprecedented levels in May, with the all time high being Rs 86.24, recorded on May 29. It had first touched the Rs 84 a litre level on May 20.

After a hiatus of around 36 days fuel prices started to rise on July 5. However, on July 10 and 11 prices were steady.

In tandem with petrol, the price of diesel also went up across the four metros. It was sold at Rs 68.43, Rs 70.98, Rs 72.61 and Rs 72.24 per litre in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai respectively, up from the previous levels of Rs 68.30, Rs 70.85, Rs 72.47 and Rs 72.10 per litre.

The high prices of diesel gain significance as it is used in the transportation of agriculture and food products, which in turn impacts the country's inflation rate.

The retail inflation in June, as released on Thursday, touched the 5 per cent mark, compared to 4.87 per cent in May, one of the reasons being the high fuel prices.