IOCL Director Calls Fuel Price Hike 'Very Small' Amid Global Crisis

Speaking about the hike in fuel prices, Arvind Kumar, Director (Refineries), IOCL, told ANI that amid global pressures, "it is a very small rise."

"It's a very small rise, and you know a lot of pressure is there. But I can tell you that Indian Oils Group companies, 10 refineries are working round the clock and more than 100 % capacity so that there will be no crisis, no dry out at any of our retail outlets....let us come together to save fuel and in this emergency time and this critical time," Kumar said.

Centre hiked the prices of petrol and diesel by Rs 3 per litre each across the country on Friday. In the national capital, petrol prices rose from Rs 94.77 to Rs 97.77 per litre, while diesel prices increased from Rs 87.67 to Rs 90.67 per litre.

Similar escalations are visible in other metros, with petrol reaching Rs 108.74 (+3.29) in Kolkata, Rs 103.67 (+2.83) in Chennai and Rs 106.68 (+3.14) in Mumbai. Diesel prices in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai now stand at Rs 93.14 (+3.11), Rs 95.13 (+3.11) and Rs 95.25 (+2.86) per litre, respectively.

To address the long-term pressure on petroleum products, IOCL is also focusing on alternative energy solutions. The company has provided two hydrogen-powered buses to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for transit between Central Secretariat and Seva Teeth Metro stations and key government establishments in the Central Vista region. These buses serve as a symbolic shift toward zero-emission public transport.

"These are hydrogen buses. Two buses have been given by Indonoyal to DMRC for moving from this central sector area to the Kartabbey building. This is an indication that Indonoyal is fully sensitive towards the environment. And in this scenario, also when a lot of pressure is there from the Gulf crisis, hydrogen buses and most important thing is that it has a zero emissions," Kumar added.

The hydrogen buses are refilled at the IOCL Research and Development centre in Faridabad, where green hydrogen is produced.

"So, it's a hydrogen, and then ultimately the water comes out. So, zero emission buses and these buses will be refilled at our R&D centre, Faridabad, on an alternate basis where we produce the green hydrogen and this green hydrogen is used in these buses," Kumar said.

The buses, each with a seating capacity of 35 passengers, are equipped with modern passenger safety and monitoring systems, including GPS-based tracking and CCTV surveillance.

The shuttle service will operate on all working days during peak office hours, encouraging greater use of public transport while helping reduce vehicular emissions and dependence on conventional fossil fuels.

"People have been encouraged to travel from metro, from buses, public utilities, and then the last mile connectivity to their destination, where they work. So these buses will definitely give the symbolic message to people that they have to [reduce] the public consumption level of these petroleum products because we purchase crude from the outside and the Gulf crisis is really creating some pressure on us," Kumar said.

- ANI