Unabated rise in prices of petrol and diesel in the last one and a half months could be alarming for the the middle class and the poor alike.
Since the daily adjustment of the fuel prices against the price of crude oil in the international market that began last month, the price of the petrol has gone up by ₹ 6 and that of diesel by ₹ 3.67 raising it to ₹ 74 and ₹ 63 per litre respectively. However, interestingly, there has been no protest from any section of the society and the people seem to be silently bearing the brunt unlike in the previous period when the Opposition used to raise hue and cry over hike in fuel prices.
“It is a clandestine plunder. Governments and oil companies are against the interest of the people and are silently fleecing them. When the prices used to be hiked in currencies, the Opposition would cry foul. Now the people are unable to feel the ‘robbery’, as it was increased in bits and pieces, in coins,” remarked Bobbili Chinna Reddy, a senior advocate.
Market sources are of the opinion that the petrol price may touch ₹ 100 per litre while the diesel ₹ 90, if left to market forces. Even if the crude prices were coming down in international market, fuel rates in the country were not under control.
“It is cleverly designed by the NDA government and its leaders are injecting medicine without causing pain. People are not conscious and not aware of the impending danger. In coming years automobile industry would disappear with slapping of taxes in hefty amounts on brand new cars in the name of GST and cess,” opined N. Ramchander, a leading paediatrician in the town.
No price parity
According to a fuel station owner P.R. Somani, at present there was no negative impact on the sales at the 182 petrol bunks across the old district after the hike in rates. Ironically, there is no parity between the increase in rate of the crude oil overseas and fuel prices in the country. “Govt. is happy as people are not aware of the burden since the price was hiked at the rate of 10 or 15 paise per day,” he said.
