BENGALURU: Diesel breached the Rs 100 barrier at a number of places in Karnataka on Sunday. Most of the areas where the diesel price has crossed the psychological mark are in North Karnataka, said BR Ravindranath, former president of Karnataka and Bengaluru Petroleum Dealers' Association.
In Ballari, the diesel price stood at Rs 100.39 per litre. At Sirsi town of Uttara Kannada district, it was Rs 100.12, while other taluks too reported that the price has crossed the mark. In Davanagere, it was Rs 100.05. In Bengaluru, the price of diesel was Rs 98.52 per litre on Sunday, said SG Prakash, the largest seller of petrol and diesel in the city.
In other parts of the state, too, the price was hovering between Rs 98 and Rs 99. The dealers predicted that it could cross the Rs 100 mark in a day or two as there is no respite from galloping international crude prices.
The hike in diesel price has hit farming activities as the harvesting of Kharif crop is around the corner and the sowing activities are likely to start in a month.
Apart from this, the tourist service providers are planning to increase the tariff by 50 paise per kilometre, which has already increased from Rs 2 to Rs 3.5. The surge will also lead to a spike in the prices of most essential commodities as dealers have to take care of transport charges.