NEW DELHI: CNG price in Mumbai as well as several other cities in the country has been hiked by Rs 2 per kg but users in poll-bound Delhi have been spared for the time being. Indraprastha Gas Ltd, the firm that retails CNG to automobiles and pipes natural gas to household kitchens for cooking in the national capital and adjoining cities, over the weekend raised CNG price by Rs 2 per kg.
Prices were hiked in Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and other cities but Delhi, which goes to polls in a few weeks from now, was spared.
Other city gas retailers, including Adani Total Gas Ltd, also raised CNG prices. Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL), which serves Delhi and surrounding areas, increased prices in Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram.
CNG now costs Rs 81.70 per kg in Noida, Greater Noida, and Ghaziabad, and Rs 82.12 per kg in Gurugram, effective from November 23.
However, Delhi’s CNG price remains unchanged at Rs 75.09 per kg. Delhi is due to hold assembly elections in the coming months. Previously, IGL adjusted prices in Delhi but maintained stable rates in Uttar Pradesh during the 2022 state elections there. Industry sources suggest that Delhi may see a price revision after its elections.
When Uttar Pradesh was going to polls in 2022, IGL had revised prices in Delhi but kept rates unchanged for cities in the state.
Industry sources said CNG prices in Delhi may be revised after assembly elections due in January /February
CNG price hiked in Mumbai
With elections out of the way, Mahanagar Gas Ltd (MGL) – the city gas retailer in Mumbai, hiked CNG prices in Mumbai and adjoining areas by Rs 2 per kg, according to MGL website.
Neither MGL nor IGL provided specific reasons for the increases. However, sources attribute the hikes to the rising cost of gas acquisition, following two rounds of reductions in regulated (APM) gas supplies. City gas retailers are now forced to purchase more expensive non-APM gas or imported liquefied natural gas (LNG). CNG prices vary across states due to differing local taxes.
MGL and other city gas retailers, like Adani Total Gas Ltd, had kept retail prices unchanged for the past two months despite a 20 per cent increase in input cost. And no sooner did assembly elections in Maharashtra conclude, MGL raised CNG prices Rs 2 per kg to Rs 77 in Mumbai with effect from November 22.