Mumbai CNG price has risen by Rs 1.50 per kg across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, prompting autorickshaw unions to seek another increase in the minimum fare before ongoing meter recalibration is completed. Mahanagar Gas Ltd (MGL) announced that the revised retail price of compressed natural gas would take effect from Sunday, taking it from Rs 90 to Rs 91.50 per kg.
The latest increase comes days after a Rs 1 per kg revision on November 1. CNG prices in the MMR have now risen by Rs 5.50 per kg over the past 75 days, according to the report. The price of piped cooking gas remains unchanged, providing relief to nearly 33 lakh households supplied by the network.
The increase has renewed demands from auto-rickshaw unions for a higher minimum fare. Thampy Kurien, leader of the Mumbai Rickshawmen’s Union, said repeated fuel price increases had effectively cancelled the benefit of the recent fare revision granted to drivers. The latest increase also comes while meters across the region are still being recalibrated following the previous fare hike.
Under the fare revision formula, unions estimate that the minimum autorickshaw fare should rise by another Rs 2, from Rs 27 to Rs 29 for the first 1.5 km. The transport department has set November 30 as the deadline for completing meter recalibration across the region. Any further fare change would require action by the relevant authorities and a subsequent update to the meters.
MGL attributed the price increase to higher gas procurement costs. The company said the Middle East crisis, reduced domestic gas allocation and increased dependence on imported regasified liquefied natural gas had raised its input costs. Since imported RLNG prices are linked to international prices, MGL said the revision was necessary to partly offset the increase while maintaining uninterrupted gas supply.
The impact extends beyond autorickshaw and taxi operators. The MMR has nearly 4.7 lakh autorickshaws, 2 lakh taxis and almost 6 lakh private cars running on CNG, making fuel price changes relevant to a large section of daily commuters and vehicle owners. The region has 529 CNG filling stations serving approximately 13.5 lakh CNG vehicles.
The immediate operational milestone is the November 30 deadline for meter recalibration. Until then, commuters and operators will continue to face uncertainty over whether the latest fuel cost increase will result in another revision to autorickshaw fares.
