The hike in prices of petrol,diesel and LPG cylinders announced by the government on Friday has left the city residents fuming. Condemning the move,they said this would further escalate prices of other essential commodities. Rinku DharWith the price of petrol,diesel and cooking gas rising,budget of my house will go haywire. We will have to think twice before using our vehicles to move around in the city. There is a need to streamline public transport. I think,now we will have to take out our bicycles. Harneet Kaur,assistant centre manager at a coaching InstituteOf course,the price hike has an adverse effect on the pocket of people. On one hand,companies are manufacturing cheaper vehicles and on the other hand,petrol prices keep on rising. But this may actually help in controlling pollution in the atmosphere. We can just hope that with the hike,people may start walking or consider car-pooling. Such hikes might compel scientists to search for an alternative fuel. Ravjot Singh (MBA Lecturer)When we talk of price hike in case of LPG,it does not affect us that much,as it is only once a month expenditure. But when we talk about prices of petrol and diesel,it actually leads to inflation,as cost of transport will also increase. With the increase in the price of kerosene,people who live below the poverty line will be worst-hit,because they can only afford stoves,which run on kerosene. Lovina,studentPetrol is a necessity these days. I have to commute daily from Sector 2 to Sector 32,so fuel consumption is high. The government transport facility is not very appealing. I would rather move independently around the city. As far as the hike in the LPG prices is concerned,I feel home-makers will face a problem balancing their budgets. Kishan,auto-rickshaw driverEvery time the government increases the price of diesel,auto drivers are affected. There is a rule that we can not carry more than three passengers at a time or else we have to pay challan. With the hike,we have to pay more but when we ask passengers to pay more,they feel we are cheating them and they disagree. In this manner,we just earn enough to sustain our families and ourselves. Col S S Pathani,petrol pump owner,Sector 34With the price hike in petrol and other fuels,the common man is obviously affected the most. Prices of fuel keep on increasing but accordingly,income of people has not increased. Even petrol pump dealers have to invest more. Initially,we used to invest Rs 4 lakh in a project,now we have to put in extra Rs 50,000. People think we are responsible for the price hike and fight with us. I do not understand why the government does this every time. The crude oil industries,which claim to be in loss,are compensated by industries they have set up for by-products,which is very profitable. Sanjay Tandon,president,Chandigarh unit of BJPWe condemn the price hike of petroleum and LPG. It is the monsoon bonanza of the Congress-led NDA government to the common man. The hike is unethical and uncalled for. The NDA government has failed to control the sky-rocketing prices of essential commodities. The hike in prices of petrol will affect the prices of all other goods,as it will automatically increase the cost of transportation. This will be another blow to the common man,who is already reeling under sky-high prices.
