Mumbai, May 15 -- Autorickshaw unions on Thursday demanded a fare hike, a day after Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) announced a Rs.2-per-kg increase in the retail price of compressed natural gas (CNG) due to global energy market disruptions linked to the ongoing West Asia conflict. Union members met with officials from Maharashtra's transport department on Tuesday and presented fresh fare calculations based on the formula presented by the BC Khatua Committee. The formula, finalised in 2017, is the official framework used by the transport department to determine and revise autorickshaw and taxi fares in Mumbai and other areas in Maharashtra. The demand comes a day after MGL hiked CNG prices by Rs.2 per kg, taking the retail rate to Rs.84 per kg across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) from 12 am on May 14. The autorickshaw unions are pressing for a Rs.1 hike in the base fare of Rs.26. "The expenses on fuel have increased by Rs.1.03 per km for autorickshaw drivers. The consumer price index (CPI) has also gone up, impacting overall running costs. Hence, we have demanded a fare hike to the government," said Thampi Kurien, general secretary, Mumbai Rickshawmen's Union. A jump of Rs.1.03 per km pushes the per-kilometre running cost for autorickshaw drivers from Rs.17.14 to Rs.18.17. Officials said the transport department will present the unions' demands to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA). The authority, chaired by the additional chief secretary of the transport department and whose members include the transport commissioner, will scrutinise the demands and decide whether to sanction a fare hike. In a statement issued on Wednesday, MGL attributed the revision to a combination of factors. "Due to geopolitical disruptions affecting the global energy supply chain, coupled with increased dependence on expensive gas sources, rising crude oil prices, and rupee depreciation overall, gas procurement costs have risen significantly," read the statement. The hike is expected to have an immediate impact on Mumbai's transport ecosystem, which has increasingly shifted towards cleaner and cheaper fuel alternatives like CNG. According to MGL, around 1.28 million vehicles in MMR run on CNG. This includes roughly 470,000 autorickshaws, over 160,000 taxis, and more than 500,000 private cars....