Odisha: Petrol price crosses Rs 100 per litre in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack

Petrol price has crossed Rs 100 per litre in multiple cities after the latest hike by state-run oil marketing companies.

The price of petrol has crossed Rs 100 per litre in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack in Odisha today.With the new hike, petrol is being sold at Rs 100.01 per litre in several places in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar while diesel price is close to Rs 100 per litre.Notably, fuel price is directly affecting the cost of essential commodities due to extra charges on transportation. Prices of cooking oil and pulses are already on the rise due to the rising cost of fuel.Meanwhile, Bus fares across all categories have been hiked in Odisha based on the automatic fare adjustment mechanism following the increase in the Diesel price.Akhil Dash, a biker at a filling station told India Today that the prices are on a rise continuously when the international crude oil price is at a record low, the price is increasing for the last three years which is largely affecting the common man.“We middle-class people are unable to bear the burden anymore, my salary has been cut, it would not make any difference for the rich class, but the middle-class people like us are suffering a lot. I appeal to the government to slash the price for the interest of common people,” added DashSecretary-General of All India Petroleum Dealer Association Sanjay Lath told India Today, "After the outbreak of Covid-19 since April 1, 2020, there has been an increase of Rs 31.27 p, consumers are paying additional tax of Rs 20 after April 1, 2020, out of which the centre govt charges Rs 10 as Excise and Rs 10 is charged by State as VAT.If we go one year back, India was purchasing crude oil at $71 per barrel average, today they are purchasing it at $ 74-75, If during that time the retail price of petrol was Rs 68-69, how come it became Rs 100 now? That’s because the state government is charging an Extra VAT of Rs 10 and the central government is charging Rs 10 extra as an Excise tax. The same is the case with Diesel. Rs 10 has increased due to the rise in the price of Crude Oil, the centre is charging around Rs 13 and state is charging extra Rs 7.50. Also read: Record high fuel prices put India’s economy on slippery track. Here’s why