Petrol sales grow for first time since lockdown began; petrol, diesel prices fall this much in September

Petrol sales rose for the first time in September since the nationwide lockdown began in India. Indicating the recovery in demand, the sale of petrol rose 2 per cent to 2.2 million tonnes in September compared to 2.16 million tonnes in the same month last year and 1.9 million tonnes during August 2020, PTI reported citing provisional data from PSU oil marketing companies. However, diesel sales remained below normal, though with a month-on-month increase. The demand for diesel fell 7 per cent on-year to 4.84 million tonnes but it was 22 per cent higher over 3.97 million tonnes in August 2020.

The rise in personal mobility leading to more private vehicles on roads is attributed to the increased petrol demand. Contrary to this, the ongoing restrictions on school buses and public transport in various places are held responsible for the low sales of diesel.