Shocking thousands of motorists, diesel prices crossed ₹100 a litre in the city on Saturday after public sector oil marketing companies revised the fuel price by 33 paise a litre.
Diesel in several parts of the State had crossed the ₹100 mark a few days ago due to difference in transport charges. The OMCs attribute the increase to international crude prices. This month alone, there has been an increase of around ₹5 a litre.
At a fuel outlet in West Mambalam, diesel was sold at ₹100.25 a litre, at Velachery it was ₹100.33 a litre, at Medavakkam at ₹100.44 a litre and at Kelambakkam ₹100.50 a litre.
Diesel used to be the go-to fuel for the common man as it cost less. Now its price is almost on a par with petrol, which costs around ₹104 a litre.
“When I filled my tank this morning, I had to pay ₹5,000, it came as a shock. Though it was costlier, I had purchased a diesel vehicle a couple of years ago since diesel was then cheaper by at least ₹15 a litre,” said Raja, a resident of Anna Nagar.
Cab operators have been forced to increase their rates to match diesel prices, despite objections from customers.
P. Nandagopal of Freedom Travels said that several of his regular customers had been objecting to the increase in car rents. “The per km rate of cars has gone up by ₹3 - ₹4 since our previous rates were fixed when diesel cost about ₹70 a litre. We did not hike rates last year due to COVID-19 and the lack of trips. But we cannot bear the hike any longer,” he said.
Padmapriya Baskaran, whose work involves travelling 15 days a month, said she had cut down on travel since she was finding it difficult to hire a taxi.
