E-Paper
Fuel price drops... Punekars say not good enough
Transport operators and Punekars express dissatisfaction by drop in fuel price saying that even these prices are too high and further relief should be provided
PUNE: In the wake of the Union government’s decision, petrol and diesel prices in the city have dropped by ₹5 and ₹10, respectively. On Thursday, the price of petrol dropped to ₹109.5 per litre while the price of diesel came down to ₹92.5 per litre. The price of premium petrol, too, reduced to ₹113.5 per litre in Pune. However, transport operators and citizens expressed dissatisfaction saying that even these prices are too high and that further relief should be provided.
Baba Shinde, director of the All India Motor Transport Congress (Maharashtra), said, “It’s good that the government thought of cutting down the excise duty and reducing fuel prices. But even ₹93 is still a pretty high price for diesel and it should be further brought down. Ideally, diesel should be in the range of ₹70 per litre as it was a few years ago. Only then transporters will get some relief. Now the Union government has reduced the taxes, I hope that the state government will also do its part by cutting down excessive taxes on fuel prices.”
The continuous hike in fuel prices has put too much of a strain on the common man. Amol Bharati, who runs a small transportation business in the city, demanded more affordable rates for fuel. “Earlier, we only used to joke about petrol crossing the ₹100 mark but in the recent past, it has become a reality and we are all suffering while living with it. Not only petrol but also diesel has crossed the ₹100 mark. I just want to point out that even the reduced prices are not normal. While comparing with a litre of petrol at ₹60, ₹105 is still a very big number. Fuel prices should be brought down to this level and common people should get some relief,” Bharati said.
Some citizens expressed apprehension about how long the reduced prices would remain as such. Apoorva Parakhi, a resident of the Warje area, said, “The prices have come down. But as we have been witnessing, fuel prices have recorded a hike almost on a daily basis. If that trend continues, the current relief will prove temporary. Fuel prices should not be related to the elections. People should get permanent relief and a proper mechanism should be put in place to control these prices.”
Earlier, when asked whether the state government will cut taxes on fuel prices to bring relief to the common man, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar had said that the Union government should make the first move. Now that the Union government and other state governments have cut down taxes on fuel prices, it remains to be seen whether the state government walks the talk.
