Transport, cooking gas prices hiked upto 10 percent

Prices of compressed natural gas (CNG) used in automobiles and piped cooking gas will go up by nearly 10 percent from midnight Thursday, making travel and other related services costlier.

CNG, used by almost all the public transport vehicles and also widely used by other commercial and private vehicles in the national capital, will cost Rs.4.50 a kg or nearly 10 percent more in Delhi.

The price of CNG will be hiked to Rs.50.10 per kg in the national capital from Rs.45.60 per kg.

In Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad region, the revised price of CNG will be Rs.56.70 per kg. The difference is because of the state taxes, according to a statement released by Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL).

Piped cooking gas, called PNG, supplied to kitchens will also become costlier by nearly 10 percent in Delhi as well as in Noida, Ghaziabad and Greater Noida.

For Delhi households, PNG will now cost Rs.29.50 per standard cubic metre of consumption up to 30 scm in two months.

For consumption above 30 scm in 60 days price will be hiked to Rs.52 per scm from the existing price of Rs.45.24 per scm.

In Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad, the price the revised price of PNG will be Rs.31 per scm for consumption up to 30 scm in 60 days and for consumption beyond 30 scm, the new price will be Rs.54 per scm.

"There has been a reduction in allocation of APM gas to us, which is forcing us to source more quantity of market priced imported R-LNG, whose prices are currently on an upswing," IGL said in a statement.

"This has affected our overall input cost by over 13 per cent. There has also been an increase in the operating expenses including increase in minimum wages announced by the government with effect from October 2013," it said.