Fuel price hike: LPG-hit housewives in Mumbai fret and fume
The rise in price of gas cylinder by Rs50 will not just affect the average citizen but also push up prices of menus in city’s hotels. In Mumbai, the domestic cylinder costs between Rs320 to Rs350 and it will now go up by Rs50 to Rs400.
The rise in price of gas cylinder by Rs50 will not just affect the average citizen but also push up prices of menus in city’s hotels. In Mumbai, the domestic cylinder costs between Rs320 to Rs350 and it will now go up by Rs50 to Rs400.
The government has approved a price hike for diesel, LPG and kerosene. Diesel prices will increase by Rs 3 a litre, and LPG would cost Rs 50 more per cylinder.
The Empowered Group of Ministers headed by finance minister Pranbab Mukherjee met on Friday evening and sanctioned the new prices. Housewives were fuming at the government’s decision and said that there had to be some logic behind the pricing.
“It will now almost cost Rs400 just to get the kitchen fires burning at home. This is ridiculous. They should have raised prices of industrial cylinders and kept low for domestic ones,” Shreekala Menon, a housewife from Chembur said.
“We also understand the international pricing etc, but why don’t prices come down with those prices. We have never heard of that, have we? Moreover, there are no elections now so they can go ahead with the price hikes,” consumer activist Jitendra Gupta said.
“Last time too they had done the hike just after the elections were over. I think there is something wrong with the whole structure of the pricing mechanism and it needs to be reviewed completely,” Gupta added.
Hoteliers in the city said that they too would not have any option, but push on the burden onto the consumer. Ravindra Shetty, a hotelier in Lower Parel, said that they would take up the issue at their association meeting and discuss it, but a Rs50 hike would affect the present calculations.
“Hoteliers have not been provided with piped gas and we still use commercial LPG cylinders to prepare food. The hike by Rs50 will definitely affect our financial planning and with the tilted balances, we would have not have any option, but push it on to consumers,” Ravi Goel, another city hotelier said.
“No one seems to be bothered about rising prices and the government seems to be going on and on in increasing prices of everything. There has to be some control somewhere and prices have to be stabilised, or else it will be difficult for the common man to survive. It is high time that politicians allowed the common man to survive,” Lata Raje, another housewife said.