Mumbai: A fresh one rupee per kg increase in CNG prices across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) from Sunday has triggered sharp criticism from autorickshaw and taxi unions, which say the steady rise in fuel costs is eroding their earnings and burdening public transport operators. There is no hike in piped cooking gas rate.With the latest revision, the retail price of CNG has gone up from Rs 89 per kg to 90, marking the sixth increase since April. The hike follows a Rs 2 per kg increase implemented on Sept 1, when minimum autorickshaw fares were raised from Rs 26 to Rs 27 and another rupee hike on October 1.Mumbai Rickshawmen’s Union leader Thampy Kurien said unions were opposed to the latest increase. “There has been a series of hikes over the past seven months and this has put an additional burden on autorickshaw and taxi drivers. The benefit of the recent fare revision will be wiped out by rising fuel costs,” Kurien said.The city’s CNG The fleet includes around 4.7 lakh autorickshaws, 1.6 lakh taxis and over 5 lakh private cars, among other vehicles including buses, highlighting the region’s growing dependence on CNG for daily mobility.Said a MGL official : “The price adjustment comes in the wake of escalating input costs triggered by external market dynamics. The ongoing crisis in the Middle East has driven up international benchmarks, resulting in a steep rise in the prices of both domestically produced and imported Re-gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG).”Additionally, a reduced allocation of lower-cost domestic gas has forced MGL to rely more heavily on high-cost imported energy sources, significantly increasing overall gas procurement expenses.According to MGL, the one rupee per kg price revision is a measured step intended to partially offset these rising input costs while ensuring an uninterrupted, sustained supply of CNG across its retail network. Detailed location-wise pricing for all operating geographies is available on MGL’s official website.Despite the marginal upward revision, MGL reaffirmed its focus on customer value and sustainability. “The company reiterates its commitment to offer clean energy solutions, emphasizing that it continues to actively explore cost-optimisation avenues to minimize the impact on consumers and support the ongoing transition toward environmentally friendly fuels,” the official added.
