The increase in petrol and diesel prices drew flak from people across the State as they wished that the West Asia war would not impact them in any way, but it eventually did in no small measure.

In a conversation with The Hindu, Nadendla Manohar, Minister for Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, called the ₹3-a-litre hike a compulsion for the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), and pointed out that they had been bearing the brunt of the war effect on the crude oil prices, which shot off to over $100 per barrel, and therefore they had no other option except to increase the prices (to make good some of the losses).

Mr. Manohar said, “To meet the crisis, the Andhra Pradesh government is taking steps to increase ethanol blending and encouraging measures like car pooling to cut down the fuel consumption to some extent.”

Mr. Manohar said he was constantly reviewing the situation while insisting that there was no shortage of the fuels. “A detailed planning is going on at the national level. We have a meeting with the Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas in New Delhi on May 18. The entire gamut of issues will be discussed,” he added.

But, the commoner is extremely unhappy with the decision to increase the prices as it entails a huge burden on them. Especially, the middle classes and daily-wage workers are fuming that the hike will have a cascading effect on their household expenses.

“Every month fuel prices go up, but our salaries remain the same. I travel from Mangalagiri to Vijayawada daily for work on my motorcycle. In addition to the spurt in fuel prices, the rising prices of vegetables, groceries and transport are worrisome. For middle class employees like me, it becomes very difficult to save anything,” said Anil Sharma, a private employee.

Expressing similar concern, U. Saraswathi, a government school teacher who travels from Guntur to a village school every day, said the burden was unbearable.

“I travel a long distance daily to my school. With diesel and petrol prices increasing frequently, transportation costs are shooting up. Teachers working in villages have no option but to travel long distances. Government should think about employees and common people before increasing fuel prices,” she said.

The hike is affecting the petrol pump operators too. The price hike catapulted petrol and diesel rates higher across the tri-State junction of Chittoor district, with petrol now hovering around ₹113 per litre and diesel ₹100 per litre in most towns, highway outlets, and border-facing pumps.

In many places of the erstwhile Chittoor district, from Kuppam to Satyavedu, fuel stations report that even before Friday’s hike, customers were filling up locally, but only out of necessity.

In border towns such as Nagari, Kuppam, V. Kota, Palamaner, and Madanapalle, petrol bunks were seeing a different pattern emerge.

“We have to plan ahead and cross into Tamil Nadu or Karnataka, where fuel is still cheaper by several rupees per litre,” said Karthik Vinayagam, a lorry driver, working for a transport company in Trichy, shuttling between Theni and Bhubaneshwar.

“Earlier, we used to have a steady flow throughout the day. Now, after every price hike, we see fewer vehicles, and the drivers prefer two or three liters, hoping to cross into Tamil Nadu. It’s a vital decision for public and also for transporters because savings are lifeline,” he said.

Farmers say the hike would put additional burden on them. “Already, farmers are facing problems with hike in labour charges and investment cost. Now, the increase in fuel prices will cause the losses to mount,” a paddy farmer P. Mallikharjuna Rao said.

Aqua farmer C. Mohan Rao of Nagayalanka village in Krishna district said the hike would have an effect on aquaculture in the State. “Aqua farmers need diesel for running aerators regularly to maintain oxygen levels in shrimp and fish tanks. The hike in fuel prices is a cause for concern,” he added.

The mechanised fishing industry is also facing a severe crisis. Vasupalli Janakiram, national president of the East Coast Mechanised Fishing Boat Owners’ Association in Visakhapatnam, said a single boat required 10,000 litres of diesel monthly. The increase would translate to a staggering additional burden of 30,000 per month per vessel. For many operators, this overhead exceeded the value of their catch, he observed.

Autorickshaw and cab drivers say the increase placed an additional burden on their already paltry earnings. R. Venku Naidu, an autorickshaw driver in Visakhapatnam, said he spent nearly ₹2,000 on petrol every day and the latest hike would directly affect his daily income.

Published – May 15, 2026 08:24 pm IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public meeting at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad on May 10, 2026.
| Photo Credit: G. Ramakrishna

Image used for representational purposes only. File
| Photo Credit: J. Allen Egenuse

Petrol sales dropped to 1.17 million tonnes during the first half of October from 1.29 million tonnes a year earlier.
| Photo Credit: Manvender Vashist

Petrol and diesel sales fell in the first half of October ahead of the start of the festival season that is expected to boost consumption, preliminary data of state-owned firms showed.

Last year, Durga Puja/Dussehra as well as Diwali fell in October. This year the festival season, when consumption picks up, starts in the second half of October.

Petrol sales by three state-owned fuel retailers fell 9% year-on-year, the first drop in two months. Diesel consumption dropped 3.2%.

The decline was largely because of the larger base of last year.

Petrol sales dropped to 1.17 million tonnes during the first half of October from 1.29 million tonnes a year earlier.

Sales dropped 9% month-on-month as well.

Consumption of diesel, the most consumed fuel in the country — accounting for about two-fifths of the demand, dropped to 2.99 million tonnes during October 1 to 15 from 3.09 million tonnes a year back. Month-on-month sales were, however, up 9.6% compared with 2.73 million tonnes in the first half of September.

Diesel sales typically fall in monsoon months as rains lower demand in the agriculture sector which uses the fuel for irrigation, harvesting and transportation. Also, rains slow vehicular movements. This had led to a fall in diesel consumption in the last three months. Since the end of the monsoon, consumption has risen month-on-month.

Consumption of diesel had soared 6.7% and 9.3%in April and May, respectively, as agriculture demand picked up and cars yanked up air-conditioning to beat the summer heat. It started to taper in the second half of June after the monsoon set in. It has continued to fall since.

Suppliers’ group OPEC sees India’s oil demand expanding on average by 2,20,000 barrels per day on the back of vigorous economic growth.

Consumption of petrol during October 1-15 was 12%more than in the COVID-marred October 2021 and 21.7% more than in pre-pandemic October 2019.

Diesel consumption was up 23.4% over October 1-15 in 2021 and 23.1% compared to October 2019.

With the continuing rise in passenger traffic at airports, jet fuel (ATF) demand rose 5.7% to 2,95,200 tonnes during first fortnight of October against the same period last year.

It was 36.5% more than in October 1-15, 2021, but 6.6% lower than pre-COVID October 2019.

Month-on-month jet fuel sales were almost 2% lower compared to 3,00,900 tonnes in September 1-15, 2023.

Cooking gas LPG sales were up 1.2% year-on-year at 1.25 million tonnes in the first half of October. LPG consumption was 10.6% higher than in October 1-15, 2021 and 153% more than in pre-COVID October 2019.

Month-on-month, LPG demand fell 7.5% against 1.36 million tonnes of LPG consumption during September 1-15, the data showed.

Representational file image
| Photo Credit: Bhagya Prakash K

India’s petrol and diesel consumption fell in the first half of July as fury of monsoon flipped travel plans and reduced the demand in the agricultural sector, preliminary industry data showed.

Demand for diesel, the most consumed fuel in the country accounting for about two-fifths of the demand, fell 15% to 2.96 million tonnes in July 1- July 15, compared to the year-ago period.

Consumption of diesel, which had soared 6.7% and 9.3% in April and May, respectively, as agriculture demand picked up and cars yanked up air-conditioning to beat the summer heat, has tapered since the second half of June after the monsoon set in.

Month-on-month sales fell almost 20%, when compared with 3.68 million tonnes of diesel consumed in June 1- June15.

Petrol sales dropped 10.5% to 1.25 million tonnes during the first half of July 2023, when compared with the same period last year. Sales were down 10.8% month-on-month, the data showed.

Both the manufacturing and services sectors in India have been in expansion territory to support oil demand for over one year.

This led to petrol and diesel sales rising since the second half of March. But the arrival of monsoon has cooled temperatures and reduced demand for running diesel gensets to irrigate fields as well as cut down consumption in tractors and trucks.

For the year, India’s oil demand is forecast at 0.2 million barrels per day year-on-year, according to oil cartel OPEC’s monthly oil bulletin.

Consumption of petrol during July 1 to 15 was 12.5% more than COVID-marred July 2021 and 16.6% more than pre-pandemic July 1-15, 2019.

Diesel consumption was up 10.1% over July 1-15, 2021 but 1.1% less than in the first half of July 2019.

With the continuing rise in passenger traffic at airports, jet fuel (ATF) demand rose 6.1% to 301,800 tonnes during July 1 to 15, as compared to the same period last year.

It was more than double that of the first half of July 2021, but 5.9% lower than pre-COVID July 1-15, 2019.

Month-on-month jet fuel sales fell 6.7% when compared with 323,500 tonnes in June 1-15, 2023.

The country’s oil demand during the last few months was supported by strong industrial activity, industry officials said.

Cooking gas LPG sales were down 6.3% year-on-year to 1.27 million tonnes in July 1-15. LPG consumption was 6 per cent higher than in July 2021 and 3.7 per cent more than pre-COVID July 1-15, 2019.

Month-on-month, LPG demand was up 3.8% compared to 1.22 million tonnes of LPG consumption during the first half of June, the data showed.