Kolkata, May 15 -- Among the four major metropolitan cities, Kolkata now stands at the top in fuel prices following the latest revision in retail rates.
From May 15, petrol in the city is being sold at Rs 108.74 per litre, an increase of Rs 3.29, while diesel now costs Rs 95.13 per litre, a hike of Rs 3.11, making fuel in the eastern metropolis costlier than in the country's other major urban centres.
The fresh price hike comes just days after the BJP government led by Suvendu Adhikari assumed office in West Bengal. Ahead of the polls, Adhikari had promised to reduce fuel prices if the BJP came to power - a pledge that has now triggered sharp criticism from the Opposition.
The increase also comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently urged citizens to reduce the use of petrol and diesel and adopt energy-efficient alternatives.
With the latest revision, petrol in Delhi is priced at Rs 97.77 per litre, while diesel costs Rs 90.67. In Mumbai, petrol is retailing at Rs 106.74 per litre and diesel at Rs 93.14. In Chennai, petrol costs Rs 103.90 per litre while diesel is priced at Rs 95.47, keeping Kolkata at the top of the metro fuel price chart.
The issue soon snowballed into a political confrontation, with the TMC leaders holding a Press meet condemning the Centre as well as the new Bengal government for the hike.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh and Tauseef Rehman termed the fuel price hike an "anti-people decision" and alleged that it would directly burden common citizens by increasing transportation costs and triggering a rise in essential commodity prices.
Ghosh accused the Centre of lacking long-term planning and said the rise in fuel prices under the leadership of Narendra Modi reflected policy failure.
Echoing the party's stand, Derek O'Brien wrote on X: "First they loot your vote, then they kick you where it hurts." He also questioned whether the Bengal government would now cut VAT on petrol and diesel, saying a "Delhi-controlled government" can no longer cite fund constraints from the Centre.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.