Fuel prices steady across metros for 13th straight day

IANS File Photo

IANS File Photo

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 20 (IANS): Petrol and diesel prices were unchanged for the 13th consecutive day on Sunday across the four metro cities.

In the national capital, petrol was priced at Rs 83.71 per litre. In the other key cities of Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, the fuel was sold for Rs 90.34, Rs 86.51 and Rs 85.19 a litre respectively.

Oil market companies (OMC) have gone on a wait-and-watch mode at a time when news of successful coronavirus vaccine and expectations of big pick-up in demand have kept crude on the boil with prices breaching $52 a barrel mark.

Petrol prices were very close to breaching the all-time high level of Rs 84 a litre (reached on October 4, 2018) when it touched Rs 83.71 a litre on December 7. But the march has been halted ever since with no further price revision.

Global crude prices have risen almost $12 a barrel in last one month to reach over $52 a barrel now. But even at this level, it is far less than than average crude price of $80.08 a barrel in October 2018 when petrol prices touched highs of Rs 84 a litre in the national capital.

Diesel prices too were same as the previous levels. In Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, diesel was sold for Rs 73.87, Rs 80.51, Rs 79.21 and Rs 77.44 per litre, respectively, all unchanged levels.