Close on the heels of the petrol and diesel price hike, the cost of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) too has gone up in the city by as much as Rs.3.70 per kg. The hike, announced on Saturday, is the second increase in the past two and half months.
Announcing the hike, Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL), which sells CNG and Piped Natural Gas (PNG), said the price of CNG sold to automobiles in the national Capital has been increased from Rs.41.90 to Rs.45.60 per kg with effect from Saturday midnight. Also, the price of PNG for households has been hiked from Rs.24.50 per standard cubic metres to Rs.27.50 per SCM.
CNG price was last hiked on June 25 when rates went up by Rs.2 per kg from Rs.39.90 to Rs.41.90 per kg, while PNG prices were increased from Rs.23.50 per SCM to Rs.24.50 per SCM for consumption of up to 30 SCM in two months. While CNG price in Delhi has been hiked by Rs.3.70 per kg, the same will go up in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad by Rs.4.20 per kg.
Justifying the hike, IGL said rates in Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad were being hiked because of the recent weakening of rupee vis-à-vis the dollar.
The company clarified that the increase will not have a major impact on the per km running cost of vehicles. For autos, the increase will be 11 paisa per km, for taxi 18 paisa per km and for buses Rs.1.05 per km, which translates to nearly two paisa per passenger per km.
