Petrol price cut by Rs 2.46/litre; scope for further reduction

In a relief to inflation-battered common man, petrol price was on Thursday cut by Rs 2.46 per litre, the second reduction this month.

Petrol price in Delhi will cost Rs 67.78 per litre with effect from midnight tonight as compared to Rs 70.24 a litre rate now, state-owned oil companies announced today.

The reduction in rates follows a Rs 2.02 a litre cut in prices from June 3. The two price cuts have wiped out more than half of the massive Rs 7.54 per litre increase in rates, the biggest in the history, effected last month.

Even after today's reduction, there exists a scope for cutting rates by a further Re 1 per litre as current revision was done at average international oil rate in the first fortnight of June. Global oil prices have fallen by 8 per cent since then.

In Mumbai, petrol price has been cut by Rs 3.10 to Rs 73.35 per litre, while it will cost Rs 72.74 a litre in Kolkata from tomorrow compared to Rs 75.81 per litre currently. Chennai saw a Rs 3.07 per litre cut in price to Rs 72.74 a litre.

State-owned oil firms abandoned the practice of revising rates of petrol on 1st and 16th of every month and from now on will now do so on a random date so as to deter petrol pump dealers building positions.

Petrol pumps at some places run dry as owners stop taking supplies from companies if a reduction in price is anticipated. Similarly, if an increase in rate is expected, pump dealers start hoarding supplies.

Indian Oil Corp, the nation's largest fuel retailer, said the three oil firms are projected to lose a record Rs 151,000 crore in revenue on sale of diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene, whose rates have not been revised in past one year. Oil firms, IOC said, continue to closely monitor the international oil prices and the evolving scenario in rupee-dollar exchange rates to assess their potential impact on selling prices in future. 

"It may be noted that prevailing global economic conditions have had an adverse impact on world petrol demand resulting in petrol margins over crude oil prices dipping to unsustainable lows. Therefore, price differential of crude and petrol shall also be under a close watch in the coming days," it said. 

Sources said the gasoline cracks or the difference between cost of raw material (crude oil) and the price of product (petrol) had narrowed to just USD 3 per barrel. In comparison, cracks for diesel were as high as USD 12-13 a barrel. 

With such narrow spread, any upward movement in crude oil price or devaluation of rupee would force an increase in price in near future, if the rates were to be cut now.