LAHORE, Oct 1: Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices are expected to go up by over Rs5 per kg due to increase in its international price from $572 to $655 per ton, says LPG Distributors Association chairman Irfan Khokhar.

He said retail gas price in the provincial metropolis was expected to increase from Rs58 to Rs63 per kg. The price of a domestic gas cylinder would go up by Rs68 and commercial cylinder by Rs272.

He said the LPG, which had become popular as fuel due to its low price, had been turned into the fuel of ‘the rich’ due to linking of its price to the international market by the Economic Coordination Committee on the orders of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

The price of LPG was linked to international market to enable marketing companies to mint money despite the fact that it was being produced in the country, he said adding that the gas was being produced for only Rs5 per kg but sold for Rs63 due to linking of its prices with the international market.