By PTI
NEW DELHI: Several members of a parliamentary panel on Thursday questioned top Petroleum Ministry officials over rising prices of petroleum products and what is being done to check it, sources said.
Petroleum Secretary Tarun Kapoor and top officials of state-run firms IOCL, BPCL, HPCL and GAIL appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas Affairs.
Several committee members, primarily those from opposition parties, posed questions on the frequent rise in prices of petroleum products and said that it was severely impacting household budget of common people, according to the sources.
Ministry officials told the panel that prices of petroleum products are linked to international crude prices, sources said.
A member from the opposition strongly countered the officials’ argument and said that even when the international crude prices come down, the prices in domestic market remain on the higher side, sources said.
Some members also said the decision on revising petroleum prices is often taken based on elections.
According to the sources, it was raised in the meeting that petrol price is above Rs 100 per litre in as many as seven states while it is hovering around Rs 100 in many others.
