The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC), one of the state's largest diesel consumers, has been feeling the pinch of rising diesel prices, but its officials are hesitant to admit that the rising diesel prices, which have reached Rs 97 per litre, have become a burden on the corporation.

When fully operational, the RTC consumes 5.43 lakh litres of high-speed diesel per day, with its 10,460 buses covering an average distance of 5.15 kilometres per litre of fuel.

The RTC, which spent Rs 66.60 per litre of diesel in mid-March 2019, saw only a slight increase in its fuel bill by the end of the year, spending Rs 68.13 per litre of diesel in mid-December. According to official sources, the corporation's fuel bill burden has become quite stark as of Saturday, with diesel priced at Rs 97.20 per litre in Hyderabad.

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According to sources, the RTC has no choice but to foot the constantly rising fuel bill and remain silent as rising fuel prices become a political hot topic.

It is understood that any public discussion on fuel prices by the RTC is off the table, as the state government could be accused of doing nothing to reduce prices by reducing the levies it collects on every litre of diesel sold in the state, including a Rs 2 per litre additional tax on the fuel, in addition to the state's 27% value-added tax per litre of diesel.

The TSRTC last increased fares on December 16, 2019, when a litre of diesel cost Rs 68.13.