The gas prices have been revised from around Rs34.4 to Rs37 per kilo. The new prices will come into effect from Thursday.
Even as the state government has written to CNG retailers asking them not to increase gas prices for end consumers without its prior approval, it is learnt that two subsidiaries of the state-owned Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) have hiked gas prices.
Industry sources said that GSPC Gas and Sabarmati Gas, both subsidiaries of GSPC, have revised gas prices by around 7%. The gas prices have been revised from around Rs34.4 to Rs37 per kilo. The new prices will come into effect from Thursday, they said.
State energy minister Saurabh Patel and energy secretary DJ Pandian could not be reached for their comments.
According to sources, Charotar Gas Sahakari Mandali has also revised its prices. It had already affected a marginal increase in CNG prices for domestic and industrial consumers from May 1.
It is also expected to affect another revision soon. Similarly, Adani Gas, which sells gas at around Rs37 per kg in Ahmedabad, is also expected to follow suit and hike prices.
The increase in CNG prices comes in the wake of higher input costs. Industry experts said that gas prices in international markets have increased from around $ 8 per Million Metric British Thermal Units (MMBTU) to $ 12 - 13 per MMBTU in the past eight months or so. In the domestic market, CNG prices have increased by around 25% in one year.
While the price revision is bound to make CNG consumers unhappy, other city gas distribution companies are also unhappy with the alleged double standards of the government.
"On one hand, the government has asked us not to hike gas prices without its approval, on the other, the state government-owned GSPC's subsidiaries have themselves hiked prices. This smacks of double standards on the part of the government," said an official of a city gas distribution company.
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