CNG, PNG prices hiked by Rs 3 each

The prices of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and cooking gas piped to household kitchens in the national capital on Saturday were hiked by Rs 3 each in step with a rise in input natural gas prices. The CNG price was hiked for the first time in over four months and the piped natural gas (PNG) price was increased in two months.

CNG in Delhi will now cost Rs 78.61 per kg, up from Rs 75.61 per kg, according to the information posted on the website of Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL). This is the 14th hike in price since March 7. Rates were last increased by Rs 2 per kg on May 21. In all, the CNG price has risen by Rs 22.60 per kg during this period. Since April 2021, CNG prices have increased by Rs 35.21 per kg or 80 percent, according to data compiled by PTI.

Similarly, the price of PNG has been increased to Rs 53.59 per standard cubic metre in Delhi from Rs 50.59 per scm, according to IGL. It is the 10th increase in PNG rates since August 2021. In all prices have gone up by Rs 29.93 per scm, or almost 91 percent.

IGL said rates of CNG and PNG have also been increased in Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram and other cities where it operates such as Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh and Ajmer in Rajasthan. The price was increased after the government raised natural gas prices by 40 percent to a record USD 8.57 per million British thermal unit from October 1.

Natural gas, which is extracted from below earth's surface, is converted to CNG for running automobiles and piped to household kitchens for cooking. It is also used to generate electricity and manufacture fertilizer.

Earlier this week, Mahanagar Gas Ltd (MGL) -- the city gas operator in Mumbai and adjoining areas -- announced a Rs 6 per kg hike in CNG price to Rs 86 per kg and a Rs 4 per scm increase in PNG price to Rs 52.50 per scm.