New Delhi, May 12 (IANS): Maintaining its rising trend, fuel prices increased for the third day in a row on Wednesday as state-owned fuel retailers hiked rates of petrol and diesel by 25 paise per litre each in the national capital.
In Delhi, petrol now costs Rs 92.05 per litre and diesel is priced at Rs 82.61 up from yesterday's level of Rs 91.80 and Rs 82.36 a litre respectively.
Across the country as well the petrol and diesel prices increased on Wednesday but its quantum varied depending on the level of local levies in respective states.
In Mumbai, petrol now comes for Rs 98.36 a litre and diesel for Rs 89.75, according to a price notification from oil marketing companies.
Petrol prices in some states including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and in some places in Maharastra have breached the Rs 100 per litre mark while premium petrol has been hovering above that level for some time now.
Fuel prices have now increased on each of the day this week. Prior to holding back auto fuel prices on Saturday and Sunday, its pump rates had increased sharply on previous four days as well.
Petrol prices have risen by Rs 1.50 a litre in Delhi in May in seven hikes so far. Similarly, diesel prices have risen by Rs 1.88 per litre in capital this month.
IANS had written earlier that OMCs may begin increasing the retail price of petrol and diesel post state elections as they were incurring losses to the tune of Rs 2-3 per litre by holding the price line despite higher global crude and product prices. The oil companies had already increased the ATF prices by 6.7 per cent effective this month.
OMCs benchmark retail fuel prices to a 15-day rolling average of global refined products' prices and dollar exchange rate. In the last fortnight global oil prices have hovered in $66-67 a barrel range higher than the levels when petrol and diesel prices were last revised. Crude prices have jumped around $69 a barrel now.
With global crude prices at around $69 a barrel mark, OMCs may have to revise fuel prices upwards again if there is any further firming up.