Petrol and diesel prices maintained its northward journey on Saturday amid strong global prices with the benchmark Brent crude gaining over 2 percent on a single day to cross USD62 a barrel mark. Effectively, oil marketing companies raised the pump price of diesel by year high level of 36 paise per litre and petrol by another 30 paise per litre in Delhi.

With this increase, the fifth consecutive this week, petrol is now priced at Rs 88.44 a litre and diesel Rs 78.74 a litre in the national capital.

Across the country as well the petrol prices increase ranged from 25-30 paise per litre and diesel price 30-40 paise per litre, depending on the level of local taxes on the two petroleum products.

In Mumbai, petrol prices is just Rs 5 per litre short of touching three digit mark of Rs 100 per litre for the very first ever anywhere in the country. Diesel prices in the city is closing on Rs 90 a litre. In all other metros, petrol is either a over Rs 90 a litre mark or just a shade below that level while diesel is over Rs 80 a litre barring Delhi.

Though firm global crude and product price is the reason for the increase in retail price of petrol and diesel, it is interesting to note that even though crude has been hovering just over $55 a barrel for a long time earlier, OMCs had gone in for both a pause in the price of auto fuels as well increase in its retail prices on consecutive days.

Crude price has remained firm for the last few weeks in wake of unilateral production cuts announced by Saudi Arabia and a pick up in consumption in all major economies globally.

The petrol and diesel prices have increased 17 times in 2021 with the two auto fuels increasing by Rs 4.73 and Rs 4.87 per litre respectively, so far this year.

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