Mumbai: Petrol, diesel and cooking gas prices may be cut further to bring them in line with international rates, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said here Saturday. The government might reduce petrol prices by Rs.5 per litre, diesel prices by Rs.3 per litre, cooking gas (LPG) prices may be cut by Rs.20-25 per cylinder.
The exact quantum of the cut is expected to be announced in a week.
The announcement comes three days after the minister said that the government may announce another cut in fuel prices soon.
Fuel prices were last cut Dec 5 after global crude oil prices plunged.
In Delhi, Ashok Badhawar, president of the Federation of All India Petroleum Traders, told IANS he had come to know of an impending price cut but did not know the details.
‘We have heard that the minister has announced a price cut. As of now we do not know by how much,’ said Badhawar.
Earlier PTI story adds:
Truckers stick to their demands; Madhya Pradesh invokes ESMA
Tightening its noose around the agitating truckers, the Madhya Pradesh government invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act on Friday night, making it the seventh state to enforce the law which enables impounding of vehicles to ensure supply of essential commodities.
However, braving the arrests of All India Motor Transport Congress leaders, the truckers are holding on to their stand and are continuing their six-day long indefinite nationwide strike.
‘We are incurring heavy losses in running the business. Hence the strike would continue,’ AIMTC Vice-President Amolak Singh Bhatia told PTI on Saturday.
Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Goa invoked ESMA earlier this week.
Meanwhile, the government has already announced plans to run 15-20 lakh vehicles in the next few days for uninterrupted supply of essential commodities. These would be arranged by impounding trucks and allowing other private vehicles for transportation of commodities without permit.
Transporters, on the other hand, have said they will not negotiate with the government until AIMTC members arrested on Friday are released.
‘We will intensify our stir. There is no question of calling off our strike. There shall be no talks until the arrested leaders are unconditionally released without any cases against them,’ an AIMTC top brass told PTI, who did not wish to be identified.
The government had already announced its plans to press 15-20 lakh vehicles and impounding of trucks to ensure supply of essential commodities, especially food stock.
Home Minister P Chidambaram, who had described the strike as ‘against the interest of people’, said the Centre was in touch with the states to evolve a solution as many of the demands of the truckers pertained to the states only.
