Mumbai, June 25 (IANS) Mumbaikars Friday reacted sharply to the rise in the prices of fuel.
‘Why do the prices keep going up? Does the government expect us to travel by bullock carts?,’ asked Asim Shah, a diamond merchant from Mumbai.
‘I am sure the hike is not going to stop here. The common man will keep getting trapped in the vicious circle. I am sure the next in line of price hike will be vegetables and food grains,’ he added.
Social activist Medha Patkar blames the government for the hike.
‘It is a perfectly planned move to push the fuel sector in the hands of private players. There is maximum corruption in this sector and only a few private players gain out of this. The poor keep struggling for the bare essentials on an everyday basis,’ she said.
Homemaker Sadhana Shah shared similar views. ‘We have not even recovered from the hike in autorickshaw and taxi fares and now will have to pay more for cooking gas too. Are there no regulations when it comes to fuel price hikes?’ she asked.
Ankur Bhavsar, an administration professional, said he switched to travelling by bus as he could no longer afford the increased autorickshaw and taxi fares.
‘Now I am anticipating a hike in bus fares also. It is becoming pressurising tying loose ends with hike in prices of essential commodities,’ he said.
Stavan Mehta, a software professional, said the government cannot keep hiking fuel prices as it will also affect other sectors.
‘Do we get the benefit of reduced fuel prices when the prices of crude oil go down? Why are we paying for the rise in those prices then?’ he asked.
Petrol will now be costlier by Rs.3.50 per litre, diesel by Rs.2 a litre, kerosene by Rs.3 a litre and cooking gas by Rs.35 per cylinder.
