Hike lowers mood in city

Barely a month after the swearing-in of UPA-II, Delhiites believe they've been dealt a raw deal. The Capital was furious as the government announced a hike of Rs 4 per litre for petrol and Rs 2 per litre for diesel. Jatin Anand reports.

Barely a month after the swearing-in of UPA-II, Delhiites believe they've been dealt a raw deal. The Capital was furious as the government announced a hike of Rs 4 per litre for petrol and Rs 2 per litre for diesel, on Wednesday.

HT Image

"This steep hike is going to mess up my whole year's budget," said Ravi Shankar (45), an advocate. Many were of the view that the decrease in prices prior to the elections was merely a political gimmick.

"It was definitely a political ploy to get votes. Where have the government's intentions to make things better for the common man disappeared suddenly?" said Prateek Sachdeva (24), a chartered accountant.

Though the hike in petrol and diesel prices is expected to burn a hole in many middle-class pockets, not many were ready to switch over to alternate fuels such as LPG and CNG.

"I'll have to make do with whatever price the government sets because I don't have the Rs 50,000 needed to get a CNG kit installed," said Ankush Tiwari (28), a motor-parts dealer.

As most vehicle owners wondered how they would deal with the sudden rise in fuel prices, some made their peace with it, "Since my employer reimburses whatever cost I incur on fuel, it's his headache, not mine," said Ronnie Sanchez (21), a delivery assistant.

"What can the government do if the price of crude oil increases? We, the taxpayers, will have to pay for it, one way or another. Why make a fuss about it?" said Arun Roy (34), a financial expert.