Fuel prices rise again, no sign of slowing down
What's the story
It's been months since fuel prices started climbing, and even now, climbing fuel prices show no signs of slowing down.
The climb continued on Sunday, with petrol prices in the national capital touching Rs. 82.72 per litre, while diesel prices touched Rs. 75.38 per litre.
Meanwhile, the political slugfest over fuel prices between the Opposition and the NDA government continues.
Here are the details.
Trends
Rising prices observed in most cities
On Sunday, petrol was selling for Rs. 88.18 per litre at Mumbai, while diesel was being sold at Rs. 79.02 per litre.
Similar trends were observed in other cities, with petrol prices climbing to Rs. 85.99 per litre and Rs. 84.54 litre in Chennai and Kolkata, respectively.
Diesel was being sold at Rs. 79.71 and Rs. 77.23 per litre in Chennai and Kolkata, respectively.
Efforts
The hikes come despite a move to slash fuel prices
Notably, the price hikes come a little over a week after the Central government announced a Rs. 2.50 reduction in fuel prices to ease the pressure on the general public.
Following the Central government's move to slash prices on October 4, several states followed suit.
However, many said that the government's move came a bit too late to cause any relief.
Politics
The political slugfest between the Opposition and the NDA government
Understandably, with fuel prices burning a hole in the common man's pocket, the issue has been heavily politicized.
While the NDA government has maintained that the sustained rise in fuel prices are resultant of conditions in international markets, the Opposition, particularly the Congress, has trained its guns on the NDA government, accusing it of not doing enough to control the spiralling fuel prices.