Kerala, Maharashtra vehicle owners swarm bordering K'taka petrol pumps

Bengaluru, Nov 10 (IANS) Ever since the Karnataka government cut fuel prices, vehicle owners from bordering districts in Kerala and Maharashtra are swarming petrol pumps in Karnataka as petrol is cheaper by Rs 5 and diesel by Rs 8 a litre in the state.

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. Petrol costs Rs 105.50 and diesel costs Rs 92.69 in Kerala per litre.

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 is Rs 92 per litre.

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.