India’s auto fuel sales surged past pre-pandemic levels in the first half of March as consumers and dealers topped tanks in anticipation of a likely price hike post assembly elections. Petrol sales by state-owned fuel retailers, which control roughly 90 per cent of the market, at 1.23 million tonnes during March 1-15 were nearly 18 per cent higher than the same period last year and 24.4 per cent higher than the period in 2019, preliminary industry data showed.
