Rediff reports Cabinet mulling Rs.5/lt hike

itwasntme · 22nd May 2008, 17:09

News out on Welcome to rediff.com

(Govt may hike fuel price by Rs 5 a litre)

Govt may hike fuel price by Rs 5 a litre

May 22, 2008 15:15 IST
The Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may meet on Friday to consider raising petrol and diesel prices among other measures to bailout state run firms that have been reeling under unprecedented high crude prices.
With Indian Oil [Get Quote], Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum projected to lose Rs 200,000 crore (Rs 2,000 billion) in revenues on sale of petrol, diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene below import cost, industry sources said a hike in the range of Rs 2 to 5 per litre appears on the cards.
Petroleum Minister Murli Deora on his part neither denied nor confirmed Cabinet being scheduled for Friday.
"We are discussing all possible measures to help and protect our public sector oil companies. . . some remedial measures need to be taken (urgently)," he told reporters.
The three firms are currently losing Rs 450 crore (Rs 4.50 billion) in revenues on fuel sales every day. Petrol is being sold at a loss of Rs 16.34 a litre, diesel at Rs 23.49 per litre, LPG at Rs 305.90 per cylinder loss and kerosene at a discount of Rs 28.72 per litre.
Deora has called a meeting of heads of the oil PSUs tomorrow morning and after that may brief the Cabinet of the financial strain on the companies in view of international crude prices topping $135 a barrel.
"I cannot rule in or rule out anything at this stage," Deora said when asked if petrol and diesel prices hike was an option under consideration.
"We are concerned at the financial health of the PSUs," he said, but asked the consumers not to panic.
"There is no rationing of fuel as has been reported by one newspaper. We can never resort to such an anti-consumer practice. I have spoken to BPCL [Get Quote] chairman Ashok Sinha who has categorically denied such a move," he said.
Deora said state-run retailers IOC, BPCL and HPCL [Get Quote] were under severe financial strain and may have taken some measures to cut cost but fuel rationing was not being resorted to.
"I would like to plead with the public and consumers that there is no such move," he said. "The government is at work trying to solve the problems being faced by PSUs. There are some measures that are under discussions."
"Our PSUs have done great service to the nation. Besides making available auto and cooking fuel to every nook and cranny, they have also been selling at a price lower than the cost. This has caused some constraint and we are concerned about it," he said.
In Asian morning trade on Friday, New York's main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for July delivery, rose to a high of $135.04 a barrel before easing to $134.87.
The three firms are faced with a huge liquidity crunch and are borrowing Rs 3,500 crore (Rs 35 billion) a month to meet day-to-day expenditure. Borrowings of the three firms have reached Rs 65,000 crore (Rs 650 billion).
The government's bar on oil firms from raising fuel prices despite cost of raw material (crude oil) doubling to over $135 a barrel, is likely to see the three firms end the current year with a revenue loss of Rs 200,000 crore. Last year, the revenue loss was Rs 77,304.50 crore (Rs 773.45 billion).
The government makes up for just over half of the under realisation of oil companies on fuel sales through issuance of oil bonds, while 33 per cent of the losses is compensated by companies like ONGC [Get Quote] and GAIL. The rest is to be borne by the retailers.

SumitB · 22nd May 2008, 17:54

Good the govt. does this and it will act as the last nail in the coffin of the UPA and Congress govt. Anyways, the inflation figures over the last few months has made life difficult for the UPA. This hike (if there is any) will ensure that we have a new coalition in the center

karanraheja · 22nd May 2008, 18:02

Had read this in rediff in the morning and i was like not again ! but it was quite expected that crude oil has touched 135$ per barrel. Many people are like 200 $ per barrel is not far away

!

csentil · 22nd May 2008, 18:09

I'm buying myself a cycle soon. Office is 6 kms away and once the Airport moves the roads are going to be relatively free. Will atleast get back in shape. ;-)

anandpadhye · 22nd May 2008, 18:13

I bought a cycle.
Hero - with suspensions and 18 gears.
But not as fun to drive as the BSA SLR of my childhood.

The current shapes of the handles are really wierd!

stable rock · 22nd May 2008, 18:14

Hard to tolerate another Rs 5 for petrol

. We In Karnataka ,when compared to most other states in India, suffers the most when their is an increase in fuel price.Hope that the state govt. reduce the tax for fuel if its price is increased.

snaronikar · 22nd May 2008, 18:27

Nope there will not be any let off by our state govt. But they will increase the prices by adding additional cess for the road to be constructed to BIAL (Just my opinion). A common man will be the most sufferer if at all they decide to raise the price by Rs.5. This will certainly have the spiralling effect on other commodities and fast food centres through out Bangalore as the prices will go up.

sanjayatarizona · 22nd May 2008, 18:52

There goes my extra weekend Vodka shot

linuxtechie · 22nd May 2008, 19:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

I bought a cycle.
Hero - with suspensions and 18 gears.
But not as fun to drive as the BSA SLR of my childhood.

The current shapes of the handles are really wierd!

Can you please share the specs? May be a link?

~LT

linuxtechie · 22nd May 2008, 19:18

Can you please share the specs? Or link may be?

~LT

ethanhunt123 · 22nd May 2008, 19:43

Its been coming for long !! And frankly speaking, with the current trend in crude prices, petrol prices will continue going northward :(

CaliforniaKnight · 22nd May 2008, 21:11

heard about the same in the UAE news that fuel prices can go up from Rs 2 to Rs5.
So what does that translate to in kerala for petrol? Rs 60 per liter??

mohit · 22nd May 2008, 22:06

Man and what about the related inflation? Its sky-high anyways!

The last fill I did was very close to Rs. 50/L mark here - so much for being in a oil producing country!

GenuineOptimist · 23rd May 2008, 07:09

Diesel consumption is growing at 25% p.a and Petrol consumption at 12% in India. I think these growth rates are the highest in the world.

Absolute quantity of consumption is a different story, but I will think that fuel consumption in US/UK are already on the decline and India will continue gulping more and more for years to come.

LandCruiser · 23rd May 2008, 09:03

This will all translate to less car sales meaning dent in the plans for new models. What is going to happen when the cost for the crude touches $200. God knows! I couldn't stop thinking of the Genius who put my new office building 50kms away from the city. Sigh...!

22nd May 2008, 17:09	#1
itwasntme Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: BANGALORE Posts: 6,977 Thanked: 12,532 Times View My Garage	Rediff reports Cabinet mulling Rs.5/lt hike News out on Welcome to rediff.com (Govt may hike fuel price by Rs 5 a litre) Govt may hike fuel price by Rs 5 a litre May 22, 2008 15:15 IST The Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may meet on Friday to consider raising petrol and diesel prices among other measures to bailout state run firms that have been reeling under unprecedented high crude prices. With Indian Oil [Get Quote], Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum projected to lose Rs 200,000 crore (Rs 2,000 billion) in revenues on sale of petrol, diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene below import cost, industry sources said a hike in the range of Rs 2 to 5 per litre appears on the cards. Petroleum Minister Murli Deora on his part neither denied nor confirmed Cabinet being scheduled for Friday. "We are discussing all possible measures to help and protect our public sector oil companies. . . some remedial measures need to be taken (urgently)," he told reporters. The three firms are currently losing Rs 450 crore (Rs 4.50 billion) in revenues on fuel sales every day. Petrol is being sold at a loss of Rs 16.34 a litre, diesel at Rs 23.49 per litre, LPG at Rs 305.90 per cylinder loss and kerosene at a discount of Rs 28.72 per litre. Deora has called a meeting of heads of the oil PSUs tomorrow morning and after that may brief the Cabinet of the financial strain on the companies in view of international crude prices topping $135 a barrel. "I cannot rule in or rule out anything at this stage," Deora said when asked if petrol and diesel prices hike was an option under consideration. "We are concerned at the financial health of the PSUs," he said, but asked the consumers not to panic. "There is no rationing of fuel as has been reported by one newspaper. We can never resort to such an anti-consumer practice. I have spoken to BPCL [Get Quote] chairman Ashok Sinha who has categorically denied such a move," he said. Deora said state-run retailers IOC, BPCL and HPCL [Get Quote] were under severe financial strain and may have taken some measures to cut cost but fuel rationing was not being resorted to. "I would like to plead with the public and consumers that there is no such move," he said. "The government is at work trying to solve the problems being faced by PSUs. There are some measures that are under discussions." "Our PSUs have done great service to the nation. Besides making available auto and cooking fuel to every nook and cranny, they have also been selling at a price lower than the cost. This has caused some constraint and we are concerned about it," he said. In Asian morning trade on Friday, New York's main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for July delivery, rose to a high of $135.04 a barrel before easing to $134.87. The three firms are faced with a huge liquidity crunch and are borrowing Rs 3,500 crore (Rs 35 billion) a month to meet day-to-day expenditure. Borrowings of the three firms have reached Rs 65,000 crore (Rs 650 billion). The government's bar on oil firms from raising fuel prices despite cost of raw material (crude oil) doubling to over $135 a barrel, is likely to see the three firms end the current year with a revenue loss of Rs 200,000 crore. Last year, the revenue loss was Rs 77,304.50 crore (Rs 773.45 billion). The government makes up for just over half of the under realisation of oil companies on fuel sales through issuance of oil bonds, while 33 per cent of the losses is compensated by companies like ONGC [Get Quote] and GAIL. The rest is to be borne by the retailers.
	() Thanks

22nd May 2008, 17:54	#2
SumitB BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Shillong Posts: 986 Thanked: 263 Times	Good the govt. does this and it will act as the last nail in the coffin of the UPA and Congress govt. Anyways, the inflation figures over the last few months has made life difficult for the UPA. This hike (if there is any) will ensure that we have a new coalition in the center
	() Thanks

22nd May 2008, 18:02	#3
karanraheja Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Coimbatore Posts: 1,961 Thanked: 436 Times	Had read this in rediff in the morning and i was like not again ! but it was quite expected that crude oil has touched 135$ per barrel. Many people are like 200 $ per barrel is not far away !
	() Thanks

22nd May 2008, 18:09	#4
csentil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,349 Thanked: 38 Times View My Garage	I'm buying myself a cycle soon. Office is 6 kms away and once the Airport moves the roads are going to be relatively free. Will atleast get back in shape. ;-)
	() Thanks

22nd May 2008, 18:13	#5
anandpadhye Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 3,054 Thanked: 3,313 Times	I bought a cycle. Hero - with suspensions and 18 gears. But not as fun to drive as the BSA SLR of my childhood. The current shapes of the handles are really wierd!
	() Thanks

22nd May 2008, 18:14	#6
stable rock BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 181 Thanked: 50 Times	Hard to tolerate another Rs 5 for petrol. We In Karnataka ,when compared to most other states in India, suffers the most when their is an increase in fuel price.Hope that the state govt. reduce the tax for fuel if its price is increased. Last edited by stable rock : 22nd May 2008 at 18:15.
	() Thanks

22nd May 2008, 18:27	#7
snaronikar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 2,845 Thanked: 29 Times View My Garage	Nope there will not be any let off by our state govt. But they will increase the prices by adding additional cess for the road to be constructed to BIAL (Just my opinion). A common man will be the most sufferer if at all they decide to raise the price by Rs.5. This will certainly have the spiralling effect on other commodities and fast food centres through out Bangalore as the prices will go up.
	() Thanks

22nd May 2008, 18:52	#8
sanjayatarizona BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: "God's own Shaap" Posts: 354 Thanked: 10 Times	There goes my extra weekend Vodka shot
	() Thanks

22nd May 2008, 19:18	#10
linuxtechie BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 50 Thanked: 2 Times	Can you please share the specs? Or link may be? ~LT
	() Thanks

22nd May 2008, 19:43	#11
ethanhunt123 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,384 Thanked: 1,033 Times View My Garage	Its been coming for long !! And frankly speaking, with the current trend in crude prices, petrol prices will continue going northward :(
	() Thanks

22nd May 2008, 21:11	#12
CaliforniaKnight BHPian Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: IND + DXB Posts: 980 Thanked: 141 Times View My Garage	heard about the same in the UAE news that fuel prices can go up from Rs 2 to Rs5. So what does that translate to in kerala for petrol? Rs 60 per liter??
	() Thanks

22nd May 2008, 22:06	#13
mohit BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Toronto / Kurukshetra Posts: 677 Thanked: 168 Times	Man and what about the related inflation? Its sky-high anyways! The last fill I did was very close to Rs. 50/L mark here - so much for being in a oil producing country!
	() Thanks

23rd May 2008, 07:09	#14
GenuineOptimist BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 134 Thanked: 31 Times	Innovative thinking and some gumption required.. Diesel consumption is growing at 25% p.a and Petrol consumption at 12% in India. I think these growth rates are the highest in the world. Absolute quantity of consumption is a different story, but I will think that fuel consumption in US/UK are already on the decline and India will continue gulping more and more for years to come.
	() Thanks

23rd May 2008, 09:03	#15
LandCruiser BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 712 Thanked: 51 Times View My Garage	This will all translate to less car sales meaning dent in the plans for new models. What is going to happen when the cost for the crude touches $200. God knows! I couldn't stop thinking of the Genius who put my new office building 50kms away from the city. Sigh...!
	() Thanks