Vehicle owners gripe as petrol, diesel prices hit record high

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As petrol and diesel prices touched a new high on Wednesday, owners of vehicles in the National Capital Region, including Delhi, said they "felt cheated", querying why the benefit of low international crude oil prices was not passed on to the consumers. On Wednesday, petrol was selling at Rs 72.43 per litre in Delhi, the highest in three years. It cost Rs 72.51 in August 2014, according to data from Indian Oil Corporation. In Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, it was sold at Rs 75.13, Rs 80.30 and Rs 75.12 per litre respectively.

"It is worrying for all of us to know that petrol and diesel price has not decreased in the last two years even though global crude oil prices have dropped significantly," Sameer Patel, a 39-year-old professional from Mumbai, told IANS. According to Mohammed Asif, who works in Noida, hikes in petroleum products is open cheating of public. "Few years ago, when crude oil prices were around $150 per barrel, the retail prices in India were still below Rs 70 a litre. Now that the crude oil prices have fallen to less than half, coming down to around $70 per barrel, the retail prices are still increasing everyday. Isn't it cheating?" Asif asked.

Nivvi Gautam, 26, living in south Delhi, said: "Oil price hike is a matter of concern for everyone -- even for two-wheeler owners. It affects owners of all modes of transportation. This means prices of everything, including basic things like fruits and vegetables, are going to increase." Anjali, who travels from Delhi to Noida everyday, said she was planning to buy a car following Delhi Metro fare hike, but oil price increase had forced her to rethink her plan.

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