New Delhi, Jul 10 (IANS): Oil marketing companies kept retail prices of petrol and diesel unchanged for the third consecutive day on Friday.

In Delhi, petrol is priced at Rs 80.43 a litre while diesel was a tad higher at Rs 80.78 a litre.

After keeping prices of auto fuel unchanged for previous seven days, the oil companies had increased the price of diesel by 25 paisa a litre in Delhi on Tuesday while keeping petrol prices unchanged.

Delhi is the only metro city where diesel is priced higher than petrol and this has been maintained since June 24, when for the time ever the transportation fuel price cross that of petrol.

Officials in the oil marketing companies said that diesel prices are seeing more volatility in the international market so the price changes in the fuel segment have been higher.

But with global oil prices rising again and set to touch $42 a barrel, expectation is that fuel prices may again see an uptick in the coming days.

Before Tuesday, fuel prices remained unchanged for seven consecutive days.

Prices of the transportation fuel have had a pause after rising to record levels in 23 of the past 33 days after the oil marketing companies resumed the daily price revision system from June 7. It made the petrol and diesel prices to rise incessantly till June 29.

During the daily hikes till June 29, diesel prices in Delhi recorded a new level by overtaking petrol prices, making the common man feel the heat.