Petrol price on Wednesday soared to Rs 89.54 per litre in Delhi – the highest level the city has ever seen – as fuel prices were hiked for the ninth day in a row.

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Petrol and diesel prices were raised by 25-26 paise per litre across metros, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers.

The increase in petrol and diesel priced pushed retail rates, which differ from state to state depending on the incidence of local sales tax or VAT and freight charges, to their highest level. In Delhi, diesel now comes for Rs 79.95 per litre.

Rates are higher in states that levy higher VAT. In Mumbai, petrol price rose to Rs 96 a litre and diesel to Rs 86.98 per litre.

The relentless hike in prices has been criticised by the opposition parties including Congress that has demanded an immediate cut in taxes to ease the burden on the common man. Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan last week had told Parliament that the government is not considering a reduction in excise duty to cool rates from their record highs.

Central and state taxes make up for 60 percent of the retail selling price of petrol and over 54 percent of diesel. The union government levies Rs 32.90 per litre of excise duty on petrol and Rs Rs 31.80 a litre on diesel.

First Published:Feb 17, 2021 8:59 AM IST