Kerala, Maharashtra vehicles swarm Karnataka for cheaper petrol

Bengaluru: Ever since the Karnataka government has slashed fuel prices, vehicle owners from bordering districts in Kerala and Maharashtra are making a bee line for petrol pumps in the State where petrol is cheaper by Rs 5 and diesel by Rs 8 a litre. The Kerala and Maharashtra governments have not announced any cuts on fuel prices so far. The Kerala government is imposing 22.76 per cent cess on diesel and 30.08 per cent cess on petrol. The State is collecting Rs 1 additional special cess. A litre of petrol costs Rs 105.50 and diesel Rs 92.69 in Kerala.

The prices are Rs 100.11 per litre for petrol and Rs 84.56 per litre for diesel in Karnataka. In Maharashtra petrol per litre costs Rs 109 and diesel Rs 92. The vehicle owners, especially trucks and cars, are queuing up at the bordering petrol pumps. Locals say that petrol pumps which sold 3,200 litres to 3,600 litres every day in the bordering towns in both States, are now selling only 800 litres to 1,200 litres.

The Karnataka government issued a notification on November 4 reducing the price of diesel and petrol by Rs 7, as per the announcement made by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai earlier.

Following the announcement of reduction of Rs 10 and Rs 5 respectively by the Union government on diesel and petrol, Bommai had also declared tax cuts on these items as a Diwali gift.