Petrol, Diesel Costliest in AP, Cheapest in Andaman

A litre of petrol in Amaravati, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh, costs Rs 109.74, while the same in Andaman & Nicobar Islands comes for Rs 82.46, according to a written reply by minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Suresh Gopi said in response to a question on disparities in fuel prices.

“The final selling prices of petrol and diesel include excise duty fixed by the central government and VAT/taxes fixed by the respective state/UT governments,” he said, adding that the rates vary across the country due to different freight rates and VAT/local levies, which vary from state to state.

NDA-ruled Andhra Pradesh charges the highest VAT of Rs 29.06 per litre on petrol, while the same in Andaman & Nicobar Islands is just Rs 0.82 per litre. The VAT is levied on top of Rs 21.90 a litre charged by the central government as excise duty.

Similarly, diesel in Andhra Pradesh is priced at Rs 97.57 per litre after accounting for Rs 21.56 a litre VAT. The rate for the fuel in Andaman & Nicobar Islands is Rs 78.05 per litre, as the VAT is the least (Rs 0.77 per litre). However, Congress-ruled Telangana ranks close behind, with petrol priced at Rs 107.46 per litre.

Petrol prices are also high in several BJP-ruled states, including Madhya Pradesh's capital Bhopal at Rs 106.52 per litre, Patna at Rs 105.23 (where the BJP governs in coalition with JD(U)), Jaipur in Rajasthan at Rs 104.72, and Mumbai at Rs 103.54 per litre. In Trinamool Congress-ruled West Bengal, petrol costs Rs 105.41 per litre in Kolkata.

Among the metros, Delhi always had the cheapest fuel as it levied lower taxes. Petrol is priced at Rs 94.77 a litre as it levies Rs 15.40 per litre VAT. Other states where petrol prices exceed Rs 100 per litre include Odisha (Rs 101.11 per litre in Bhubaneswar), Karnataka (Rs 102.92 in Bengaluru), Tamil Nadu (Rs 100.80 in Chennai) and Jammu & Kashmir (Rs 100.71 in Srinagar), according to the reply.