District reels under petrol price hike

District reels under petrol price hike

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, May 25, 2012 : The people of Dakshina Kannada were in a state of shock when the UPA government suddenly raised the price of petrol by Rs. 8.24 per liter. When the news appeared on TV, people rushed to petrol bunks to fill their tanks.

Cyril D’Souza, president of the Mangalore Autorickshaw and Car Operators (MACO) Cooperative Society Limited, told reporters that the HP petrol pump in Balmatta, which belongs to the society, had long queues of vehicle owners in front of it and the petrol pump sold 12,500 litres of petrol on Wednesday as against the 3,000 – 3,500 litres per day it sells in normal conditions. Between 2:00 p.m. and 12:00 midnight alone, the petrol pump sold 9,600 litres of petrol, he said.

Voicing his opinion of the hike, B. Madhava, the district secretary of the CPI (M), said that the UPA government is solely responsible for this hike although it is blaming the rise in prices in the international crude oil market.

Stating that the hike is caused by the devaluation of the rupee, he said that the government allowed the entry of foreign capital into the Indian market. The value of the rupee falls whenever one of these companies withdraws the capital, he added.

Stating that the government has no right to burden the common man, he said that the CPI and the CPI (M) will continue protesting. He said that petrol prices will fall if the government reduces tax and excise duty on fuel.

L. T. Suvarna, general secretary of the Federation of Karnataka Auto Drivers Union, said that the union is planning to submit a memorandum to the DC to hike auto fares as the rise in petrol price is having a terrible effect on auto rickshaw drivers.