'Time to ride a bicycle'

The increase of Rs 7.50 per litre in petrol price has brought scathing criticism of the government by the common people.

They say even public transport is not good enough to bank on in times of high inflation.
“People say use public transport if price of petrol increases. But where are the facilities? I have to travel from Noida to Qutab Institutional Area for work. It will take me one-and-a-half-hour after changing three buses on a normal day without traffic,” said Anandita Mitra, senior researcher with an NGO.

Bhaskar Pant, documentary film researcher, said, “It’s a pain for commuters, but I guess people would now prefer to travel by public transport more.”

Petrol will cost Rs 73.14 per litre in Delhi after an increase from Rs 65.64 per litre. 

“No matter how much the government tries to convince people by giving the logic of increasing international price or competition, the fact is it has to ensure the common man does not suffer. Why should the common man pay for the development of the country?” said Sudesh Chawla, who works for a public relations company.

Some have started making plans for commuting in future, in the light of the petrol price hike. “Price rise will not affect me directly as a student. But if it keeps on increasing like this, I’m sure I won’t be buying a car with my salary. Rather, I will go Uttar Pradesh’s way by choosing a bicycle,” said Sidhant Kaushik, who is preparing for a Masters in Law.
“If I have to go somewhere, I’ll club my outing with other people,” said Chawla.

She said if the common man starts to use public transport more, then the government will have to provide more facilities.

“They will levy taxes for it. So it’s a vicious circle. We are paying from our pocket for their (government functionaries) convenience. It’s one-way traffic,” she said, adding that the government should think of some better avenues to raise money. “They should check the scams and divert money this side.”

Experts say petrol price hike will translate into in general.

Rohit, who teaches Economics at Ambedkar University, Delhi, said, “Petrol price hike increases inflation due to pass-through effect on transport cost. Transport cost is relevant for most commodities that we consume. It will further add on to inflation.”