VIJAYAWADA: The prices of petrol and diesel touched an all-time high in the State on Thursday. The price revision effected by Oil Marketing Companies for the third time in a week saw petrol costing Rs 100 per litre in Tirupati. In Vijayawada, petrol is priced at Rs 99.80 per litre and diesel too reached a record high of Rs 94.09 per litre.
The fuel prices increased by more than Rs 25 from Rs 74.50 per litre petrol and Rs 68.43 per litre diesel in Vijayawada in May last year. They remained constant for nearly a month before the revision after Assembly polls in five States.On March 7, the price of petrol stood at Rs 97.27 per litre and diesel at Rs 90.80 per litre. In April, petrol was priced at Rs 96.66 per litre and diesel at Rs 90.17.
On May 2, when the election results were announced, petrol was priced at Rs 96.50 per litre and diesel at Rs 90.03 per litre. From May 3, the fuel prices started increasing. “At present, fuel prices are fluctuating on alternate days. Prior to the introduction of dynamic pricing in 2017, the fuel prices used to be increased by Rs 1 or 2. Now, the fuel prices are increasing by 20-30 paise per day, burdening the common man,” said Andhra Pradesh Federation of Petroleum Dealers (APFPD) president R Gopal Krishna.
The State government is currently levying 31 per cent VAT in addition to Rs 4 as tax per litre of petrol and diesel. The fuel prices vary from city to city even within the State due to local levies. In Visakhapatnam, petrol is priced at Rs 98.66 per litre and diesel at Rs 92.98 per litre. The price of petrol has gone up by Rs 3.32 per litre and diesel by Rs 4.05 in the last four weeks.
A salesman at a fuel station in the city said there was a huge drop in the number of vehicle owners buying petrol and diesel due to partial curfew. Ramakrishna, a motorist, said the rise in fuel prices will have a cascading effect. The rising prices of essentials are causing hardship to people who are already hit by Covid, he said.
In Guntur, the prices of petrol and diesel rose for the fifth time in the last 10 days. The price of petrol increased to Rs 99.95 per litre with the latest revision of Rs 0.24. Diesel costs Rs 94.22 per litre with an increase of Rs 0.31, said Avinash, a petrol pump dealer.
Now, vehicle owners are accustomed to purchase fuel for Rs 100 and Rs 200 instead of litre due to frequent fluctuations in the prices. So even if the prices increase 15 times a month, it will not have any adverse impact on fuel consumption. However, due to partial curfew, the fuel consumption has decreased by about 40 per cent in the city, he added.When it comes to temple town Tirupati, petrol price touched Rs 100 per litre, diesel costs Rs 94.22 per litre. “I have to think twice before taking out my bike,” said Tejesh, reacting to the hike in fuel prices.