Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) raised CNG prices by ₹3.89 per kg across Delhi-NCR from 6 am on Saturday, 29 August, pushing the retail price in Delhi from ₹83.09 to ₹86.98 per kg. Residents and commercial vehicle operators across the National Capital Region expressed sharp concern over the hike, calling it an unfair additional burden on the middle class at a time of broad inflationary pressure.

New Rates Across the Region

The revised prices took effect simultaneously across several cities in the NCR. In Noida and Ghaziabad, CNG will now cost ₹95.59 per kg, while Gurugram has been pegged at ₹92.01 per kg. IGL, the primary city gas distributor for the region, made the announcement ahead of the Saturday morning revision.

The hike affects private car owners, autorickshaws, app-based cab services, and other commercial transport operators who depend on CNG as a lower-cost alternative to petrol and diesel.

What Residents Said

One Delhi resident noted that CNG cost approximately ₹56 per kg when he purchased his vehicle, and has since climbed to ₹96 per kg in some parts of the NCR — nearly at par with petrol prices. 'This is unfair to the middle class,' he said.

Another resident, who discovered the hike while visiting a CNG station on Saturday morning, connected it to a wider cost-of-living squeeze. 'Inflation is rising day by day. A week ago, sugar prices also went up, chicken and egg prices are up and now gas has become more expensive,' he said, adding that taxi drivers — already struggling with stagnant fares — would be hit hardest.

A third resident warned of second-order effects on consumers. 'If CNG prices keep increasing this way, it will put pressure on all transport systems that deliver goods and food produce and will ultimately raise the price for consumers,' she said. She also flagged that commuters using bike taxis, radio cabs, and autorickshaws would face higher fares, adding further strain to household budgets.

Commercial Drivers Bear the Brunt

An autorickshaw driver in Delhi said the hike was deeply problematic for operators already under financial stress. 'Earlier, we used to pay around ₹16 per kg for CNG, and now, after the hike, it will be ₹86.98 per kg,' he said. He pointed out that passenger fares — whether booked online or otherwise — had largely remained unchanged, leaving drivers to absorb the rising fuel cost.

This disconnect between rising input costs and frozen fares is a recurring grievance among commercial CNG vehicle operators in Delhi-NCR, and one that transport unions have flagged to authorities in previous rounds of price increases.

A Pattern of Repeated Increases

The latest revision is not an isolated move. In May 2026, IGL had already announced a ₹2 per kg increase in Delhi, which itself followed a ₹1 per kg rise announced just days earlier on 26 May. Taken together, CNG prices in Delhi have risen by more than ₹5 per kg in the span of a few months — a cumulative burden that residents say is outpacing wage growth and eating into disposable income.

This comes amid a broader inflationary environment in which food prices — particularly sugar, poultry, and eggs — have also moved higher in recent weeks, compounding the pressure on urban middle-class households.

What Happens Next

With no immediate indication from IGL or the government of a rollback or fare revision for commercial operators, drivers and commuters alike are bracing for further cost adjustments. Transport economists note that sustained CNG price increases, if unaccompanied by fare revisions, typically accelerate driver attrition from app-based platforms and push some operators back toward petrol vehicles — partially negating the environmental rationale for CNG adoption.