Empowered group of ministers (eGoM) headed by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee is likely to

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meet again on Thursday to decide on freeing retail prices of petrol and diesel.

They couldn’t arrive at a consensus on Monday as four key ministers, including Mamata Banerjee and Sharad Pawar, did not turn up for the deliberations.

“Finance ministry officials have alerted their counterparts in the petroleum ministry on a possible eGoM meet just after Union Cabinet session on Thursday,” a person privy to the development told Financial Chronicle.

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday told reporters, “On Thursday, the normal weekly Cabinet (meeting) day when most of the ministers would be present...I will find out the appropriate date.”

However, Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar may not be present as he is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Mumbai.

The empowered group of ministers headed by Mukherjee met on Monday to discuss recommendations made by Kirit Parikh-lead panel in February this year. Parikh committee recommended freeing prices of petrol and diesel from government control and hike retail rates of domestic cooking gas and kerosene.

The politically sensitive decision to free fuel prices from government control may weigh heavy for Congress as several state elections are scheduled later this year and 2011-12.