April 5, 2012. Diesel consumption in the country jumped 11.9% in February as industries increased the use of the cheap fuel, while curbs on overloading of commercial vehicles forced transporters to increase the number of trucks on roads. Growth in diesel sales surpassed the growth in total sales of oil products, which rose 7.3% in the month. The data is skewed by the fact that it compares a 29-day month of the leap year with a 28-day February in 2011. The sale of fuel oil has been declining, which is a lower grade fuel than diesel, but is more costly as its price is not controlled by the government. Diesel, which is sold at Rs.40.91 a litre in New Delhi, is Rs.15 a litre cheaper than fuel oil (FO), a residual product of petroleum distillation burned in furnaces to generate heat. The government controls retail prices of diesel, which is not revised since June last year.