NEW DELHI: Fuel prices have risen by up to Rs 5.30 per litre to record levels in six weeks, triggering wider criticism of the government for not cutting excise duty on the heavily taxed petrol and diesel.Petrol was sold for Rs 87.89 per litre and diesel for Rs 77.09 in Mumbai on Sunday. Petrol and diesel were priced at Rs 80.50 and Rs 72.61 a litre, respectively, in the capital. Diesel has gained Rs 5.30 per litre in Mumbai and Rs 4.99 in Delhi since July 29, when prices started trending upward. Petrol has risen by Rs 4.28 per litre in Mumbai and Rs 4.34 in Delhi since then.Fuel prices have been rising due to a combination of a weaker rupee, higher international oil prices and heavy taxes. Opposition parties planned a nationwide bandh on Monday to protest the spiralling fuel prices and the government’s refusal to cut duties.The central government had increased excise duty on petrol by Rs 11.77 a litre and on diesel by `13.47 a litre between November 2014 and January 2016, when international oil rates were low.After oil prices began a sharp recovery, it slashed duty by Rs 2 a litre last October, upsetting consumers. A tax cut by state governments, too, has been rare. In New Delhi, excise duty and value added tax are equivalent to 93% of the price of petrol charged to dealers and 60% for diesel, according to data on the website of state oil companies for the September 3 rates. Taxes are higher in Mumbai.“If you have a fever, the doctor will prescribe paracetamol tablets for you. Duty cut is the appropriate medicine for rising fuel prices. But people are talking about everything but duty cut,” an oil ministry official said.The central government has been reluctant to slash excise duty since it doesn’t want to lose revenue in an election year. Taxes on fuels are one of the biggest sources of revenue for the Centre and the states. There have been calls to include fuels under the goods and services tax. At the highest bracket of GST — 28% — fuels would still be cheaper than under the prevalent taxes.