JOIN USPetrol price hike adds fuel to public ire
Autorickshaw drivers, fearing they would be forced to increase the fare again to the displeasure of their customers, have convened a meeting on Saturday, to discuss the repercussions the price hike will have on their business, Meenakshi Sundaram, president of the Auto Rickshaw Drivers Union (ARDU), told Deccan Herald on Friday.
Saleem Ismail, an auto driver residing near Vasanthnagar, said: “All the autos now run on gas. We pray the gas price does not go up tomorrow.”
Bangalore city was hit with the maximum increase across the country with petrol price shooting up to Rs 74.82 a litre.
Anand Gopalakrishnan, an IT firm employee residing in Embassy Golf Links, regrets having bought a car just over a month ago.
“I used a Honda Activa for three years... And now, I bought a car for Rs 13 lakh. Given the frequent price hikes, in a decade’s time, I guess I would have spent more on petrol than the cost of my car.”
Aditya Ramachandran says: “I rarely use my car to commute to office. It helps me save a lot on money. Even then, the petrol price hike will affect my monthly expenditure.”
Passengers of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses may have to shell out more if the diesel price go northward. M P Prabhudas, Chief Traffic Manager (Operations), BMTC, said: “There is a provision for an automatic fare revision every time fuel prices are increased. As of now, it is stable. If at all the price of diesel is also hiked, then the bus fare will have to be increased. The State government will, however, have the final say.”
Kanika Singhania, a homemaker residing in Bellandur, says: “I used to spend not more than Rs 3,000 a month last year on cooking, including groceries and vegetables. Over the last few months, I notice spending less than Rs 5,000 would be a miracle.”
Social networking sites too were flooded with public reaction on the petrol price hike.