COURTESY  HT JAN 20

Fuel prices at all-time high across tricity

Rajanbir Singh

rajanbir.singh@htlive.com

Chandigarh : Just 11 days after touching an all-time high of ₹81 per litre, petrol price went past ₹82 in Chandigarh on Tuesday.

Even diesel price has touched the ₹75 mark for the first time in the city. Records have also been broken in the satellite cities of Panchkula and Mohali (see box).

Fuel prices have been going up by a few paisa every couple of days, and according to local dealers, the trend is likely to continue in the coming days.

“The hike is out of the dealers’ control. Policies of the central government are causing it,” said Arjan Singh, president, Chandigarh Petroleum Dealers Association.

Association’s former president Col HS Kapoor (retd), who owns a filling station in Sector 21, said: “The hike also affects the dealers adversely, as our commission is not fixed. We have to keep a higher working capital for purchasing the same amount of fuel. Chandigarh has a majority of government employees, who have a fixed fuel allowance. With higher rates, we sell a lower volume of fuel and end up earning less.”

Sales down by 30% in Mohali

Sales have been hit in Mohali too. “Our sales have gone down by 30% this month due to the hike. With the price of crude oil likely to rise further, fuel prices will go higher and our sales will be hit further,” said Ashwinder Mongia, president, Mohali Petroleum Dealers Association.

“The fuel price hike will inflate prices of commodities brought via road from other cities,” said BL Sharma, general secretary, Chandigarh Transport Association, while citing the example of onions, which come from Maharashtra and have become dearer in the past few days.