A constant surge in fuel and natural gas prices over the last sixteen days has increased the hardship of common people across the country, with petrol and diesel prices going up by Rs 10 per litre each or 10.5 per cent.
Rates have been increased across the country and vary from state to state depending upon the incidence of local taxation.
35-year-old Taufiq Tahir, who works as a delivery man for an e-commerce company in Mumbai, covers around 100 kilometres daily, but his company, he claims, hasn't revised the tariff. "I get just Rs 6.5 for a kilometre. That's a three-year-old tariff. My income has suffered a hit and a quarter of it goes for fuel", Mr Tahir told NDTV.
In Guwahati, it's been a double whammy for Mahendra Kalita, an auto owner turned auto driver, who had to sell his auto-rickshaw after the first lockdown was imposed in the country. He now drives a rental auto and pays Rs 150 a day for it. "We are unable to meet the expenses. I can't save money for my kid's school fees. How would we survive," Mr Kalita said.
Down South, Swapnil, a Human Resource professional in Chennai, has stopped using his car. He now uses a scooter for a 30-kilometre ride every day. "Fuel expenses account for more than 10 per cent of my salary. Cars are a liability now," he said.
Nagarajan, a Tamil Nadu-based mechanical engineer has no option other than switching to a bicycle. "I am looking out for a job and I get limited financial support from my family. Looking at the increase in the fuel prices, I can't ride my bike now," he said.
Petrol prices have surged past Rs 100 a litre mark in all major cities across the country while diesel is above that level in several places in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The Rs 10 a litre increase in rates in just over a fortnight is the highest ever any equivalent period in two decades, according to price information available from state-owned fuel retailers.
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