Govt should absorb hike in petrol price

Hyderabad, February 16: Condemning the hike in petrol prices, YSR Congress has
demanded that the Centre should retain the pricing policy methodology and the
State should provide a cushion to absorb the increase in petro rates instead of
passing it on to the customer.

“YSR has done it earlier. When the Centre has increased the LPG gas
price, YSR government did not pass it on to the consumer but has given subsidy
while the present state government has no concern for the common man,” party
spokesperson Jupudi Prabhakar told reporters here on Saturday.

He said that the Centre should retain the control on pricing of
petroleum products as it was during the pre-2010 period, he said. The prices of
petrol are hiked by Rs. 1.50 and on diesel 0.50 paise per litre from Friday
night.

We strongly condemn the hike of petroleum products ahead of the budget
session and the hike will have a cascading effect on public transport and
essential commodities as well, he said.

 The hike of diesel and petrol will jack up the Railway and RTC fares and
will further burden people who are already facing hardships due to the
spiraling costs, he said adding that the fare hike a week before the budget session
is mockery of democracy.

 "Frequent hikes in petrol and diesel prices are being
announced after the government ceded the pricing control to oil companies. It
is high time that the government take back control of determination of
petroleum prices," he said.

 The hike will burden the public transport system of Railways and RTC to
a tune of Rs 2,900 crores and State has been increasing bus fares and power
charges exorbitantly. It has burdened the customer by Rs 32,000 crores through
power surcharge and it should show concern by bearing the latest hike in petro
products, he said.

The petrol and diesel charges were increased at least 10 times after the
Centre conceded the price monitoring right to Oil Companies, he said.

On Chandrababu Naidu’s comments, he said, “the TDP leader could not hold
his flock together as people and his own party members have lost faith in him.
People are being attracted to YSR Congress policies and are seeing a future
Chief Minister in YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.”

His remarks about packages and such talk shows that he is losing grip
over the party, he said.