NEW DELHI: Petrol sales in Delhi have slumped by a quarter as vehicle owners in the country’s largest car market and hordes of daily commuters driving or riding into the capital for work from townships around the capital began flocking to outlets in UP and Haryana since these states slashed VAT after the Centre cut excise duty on November 3.
More than a quarter of Delhi’s 403 petrol pumps located on or near the border in particular have seen a dramatic drop in sales as consumers were drawn to UP and Haryana where petrol became cheaper by more than Rs 8 a litre as the Arvind Kejriwal government is yet to reduce VAT.
“About 115 petrol pumps in Delhi are near the border with UP and Haryana. These pumps have seen sales slide 50-60%. The pumps in areas such as trans-Yamuna are suffering more as UP is a bigger draw due to the wider gap with Delhi’s price and larger number of people driving into the city from townships near the capital,” All India Petroleum Dealers Association president Ajay Bansal told TOI.
