Petrol crosses Rs 120/litre in MP's border district; diesel nears Rs 110

Border districts of Madhya Pradesh are bearing the brunt of the hike in fuel prices, with the cost of petrol in Anuppur crossing Rs 120 per litre and diesel nearing Rs 110 per litre on Wednesday.

Similarly, the price of petrol in Balaghat, which shares borders with Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, reached Rs 119.23 per litre.

Talking to PTI, Abhishek Jaiswal, a petrol pump owner in Anuppur's Bijuri town bordering Chhattisgarh, said the price of petrol has gone up to Rs 120.4 per litre after an increase of 36 paise on Tuesday.

The cost of diesel reached Rs 109.17 per litre, following an increase of 37 paise, he said.

Petroleum is brought to Anuppur from Jabalpur oil depot, about 250 km from the district headquarter, hence, fuel is costlier in the district than in other parts of the state due to higher transportation cost, Jaiswal said.

The price of petrol and diesel in Balaghat reached Rs 119.23 and Rs 108.20 per litre respectively, after an increase of 37 paise, said Ravi Vaidya, the owner of a petrol pump on Lalburra road in Balaghat.

Meanwhile, the price of petrol in Bhopal touched Rs 116.62, after a hike of 36 paise, while diesel is being sold at Rs 106.01 per litre following a rise of 37 paise on Tuesday, a petrol pump owner said.

According to petrol pump owners, the fuel business in border districts of the state is severely hit, as most vehicles prefer to refuel in Maharashtra or Chhattisgarh, where petrol and diesel are cheaper.