KARACHI, June 30: The Oil Companies Advisory Committee (OCAC) has increased the prices of petrol by 36 paisa per litre to Rs31.19 from Rs30.83 per litre. This was the third increase in a row.

Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and Shell Pakistan Limited (SPL) have also raised the price of diesel to Rs20.31 from Rs20.02 per litre, up by 1.45 per cent.

The OCAC has also raised the prices of high octane blending component (HOBC) by 37 paisa to Rs34.87 from Rs34.50 per litre while the light diesel oil price has been increased by 19 paisa per litre to Rs16.45 from Rs16.26 per litre.

The committee had, however, cut the price of kerosene oil by seven paisa per litre to Rs18.76 from Rs18.83 per litre. The new prices will be effective from July 1-15.

In a statement, the OCAC said product’s price in the Arab Gulf region reflected a mixed trend during the fortnight under review.

The average price of naphta increased by $6.12 per ton or 2.76 per cent while the average price of kerosene decreased by $0.18 per barrel or 0.68 per cent.

The average exchange rate of the rupee lost ground vis-a-vis the dollar marginally by nine paisa during the fortnight.