MUMBAI: Educational Tour Operators’ Association of Maharashtra on Tuesday announced an increase in tour and picnic costs of school students by Rs100 a day per child as diesel prices are spiralling upwards.A few weeks back, school bus-owners in the state had announced a fee hike of Rs75 a child per month due to high diesel rates.The price of petrol here is set to touch the Rs90-mark as it ended at Rs89.54 a litre on Tuesday morning. Oil company sources indicated that prices may continue to rally and go beyond Rs90 in few days. The price of diesel is also likely to go beyond the Rs80-mark if the trend continues for few days, the sources said.Association president Anil Garg said, “All school students participating in field trips or going on picnics will have to pay extra due to the hike in diesel rates. We were left with no alternative as prices have been sky-rocketing lately. The government should be held responsible for any hike.”He said maintenance costs have also gone up due to buses plying on congested roads and waiting at toll posts, leading to fuel wastage and extra consumption of diesel. “Besides, due to bad road conditions, we are also facing breakdowns of suspension in buses and wear and tear of clutch and brakes during traffic snarls. We need to pay for repairs, maintenance of buses, salaries of bus staffers, insurance, taxes and most importantly, the cost of fuel. So, the hike is justified,” Garg said.Bal Malkit Singh of All-India Motor Transport Association threatened a nationwide agitation but said a final call will be taken at a meeting of leading transporters’ associations in Delhi on Friday.In around six months, rates of petrol have gone up by 12% and diesel by 18%, and this was one of the highest escalations lately.Oil marketing company sources said the petrol rate here was up by Rs10 in around six months, which is a 12% hike since March. Diesel costs had also risen by 18% during the same period, with the price going up by Rs12 since March. Motorists in Mumbai have been demanding that prices be controlled or brought down. The lowest price of petrol in March was Rs79.45, while that of diesel in the same month was Rs66.30.Several city car-owners had purchased diesel vehicles sedans and SUVs thinking they would be cost-effective. “Diesel vehicles are expensive to buy but come with lower fuel expenses,” said a car-owner, adding that the gap between petrol and diesel prices too had narrowed down over the years.Until three years ago, the difference in rates was up to Rs18, but now the gap has narrowed down to around Rs10.Fuel rates are hurting public, admits GadkariUnion transport minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday admitted that fuel prices were “very high and hurting the public”.“.... one thing is there that (fuel) rates are very high and it is a situation where definitely people are facing problems,” Gadkari told the third Bloomberg India Economic Forum in Mumbai. He also said he had been told there is a likelihood of global crude prices going down. pti* Fuel prices in city on TuesdayPetrol | Rs89.54/litreDiesel | Rs78.42/litre* Fuel prices in Thane/Navi Mumbai on TuesPetrol | Rs89.28/litreDiesel | Rs76.95/litre

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