Mumbai: People were filling only one litre or less petrol on hopes that the prices will come down in the coming days. “It is time the government brings fuel prices under the ambit of Goods and Services Tax (GST) or cut excise rates. It is too expensive a fare to pay on a regular basis,” said Vivek Hande, a Worli resident. “There should be some cap on revision of fuel rates every day. Otherwise these rates may even cross Rs 90 per litre,” said Sriram Appuswami, a Jogeshwari resident.
According to Nilesh Mehta, a Colaba resident, “Since there is a constant hike in the petrol prices, time has come for the citizens of Mumbai to either come out on the streets and protest or avoid using petrol-run vehicles. I am thinking of using other alternatives modes of transport instead. I am disappointed with the government over the sharp hike during this festive season. I and my family shall not vote for the BJP government in the next elections.”
Huda Siddiqui (27), a computer engineer said, “The price hike of petrol is insane. It becomes impossible for us to afford the petrol at such a high price. Looking at the hike, I would rather travel by public transport than go broke in the first ten days of the month by commuting on my Scooty.” Gagan Bhurke (19), a media student at an Andheri-based college said, “I travel on a motorbike daily from Malad to Andheri. The petrol hike will burn a big hole in my pocket money which will only make me cut my leisure expenditure.” “It seems like a lifetime when the petrol rates were ranging from Rs 30 to Rs 45. The rates are now touching the skyline, but for me, it is a no-way-out as I have to go and pick up my grandson,” said a senior citizen Jaypal Talpade (66).
Sandeep Dhawale, coach of Jai Jawan men Dahi Handi Govinda Pathak, Mumbai opined: “The petrol prices are too high, government should do something so the cost will come down. Although the Govindas have to shell out more money on petrol this time, but due to festival no one made the noise. However, rise in petrol will increase the cost of other items required for daily life. And ordinary man like me has to suffer. In my group the Govindas themselves decided to bear the cost of petrol from their own pocket, so the burden did not come on the group as part of expenses.”
Sairam Jogeshwari Dahi Handi Patak: “As we are using trucks to travel from one part of the city to another, we are not facing the pitch of petrol price hike in our pocket individually. But since the petrol price is more as compared to other cities, we only expect that the government will provide some relief by reducing the prices.”
(Inputs from Akash Sakaria, Priyanka Navalkar, Kainaz Choksey, Swapnil Mishra & Sweety Adimulam)