Desk Correspondent , New Delhi — Fuel prices across the Delhi-NCR region have surged following a consecutive ₹1 per kg hike in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) on Sunday, bringing its retail price to ₹80.09 per kg. This second increase in just forty-eight hours follows a ₹2 hike on Friday, cumulative of a ₹3 rise. Concurrently, petrol prices climbed by ₹3 to ₹97.77 per litre, while diesel rose equally to ₹90.67 per litre. The back-to-back revisions follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent appeal for fuel conservation amid geopolitical tensions in West Asia and the maritime blockade of the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

The sharp escalation has triggered intense financial pressure on daily commuters and transport operators, prompting local transit unions to demand immediate fare revisions. In a formal letter to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the Delhi Auto Rickshaw Union and the Delhi Pradesh Taxi Union jointly requested a mechanism to offset rising operational costs and mitigate passenger disputes. The unions are lobbying to raise the base auto fare for the first 1.5 kilometres from ₹30 to ₹50, alongside increasing the subsequent per-kilometre rate from ₹11 to ₹15.

Additionally, the commuter unions have proposed new baseline tariffs, including a waiting charge of ₹1 per minute and a fixed luggage fee of ₹25 per item. They recommended that the existing 25% night surcharge, applicable between 11 pm and 5 am, remain unchanged. As the Delhi government reviews these urgent requests, millions of commuters across the National Capital Region brace for an inevitable hike in daily public transport expenses.