Rising fuel prices has been cause of grave concern in the country since the past couple of months. In Delhi, a litre of petrol will cost you Rs 80.50, while in Mumbai the situation is worse with Rs 87.89 per litre. But nowhere in the country are the prices as high as the Maharashtrian city of Parbhani. Located 200 km from Aurangabad, Parbhani seems to be living a nightmare that the rest of the country is gradually approaching. Diesel in Parbhani is Rs 77.92 per litre.
In the rest of Maharashtra, the situation is not much better. Across the state, petrol prices have breached the mark of Rs 88 per litre, while diesel is around Rs 76 per litre, as mentioned by the All India Petrol Dealers Association (AIPDA).
On Sunday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the state government is working on various proposals to provide relief to citizens from rising fuel prices.
Apart from 25% Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol and 21% on diesel, the Maharashtra government had also introduced Rs 9 and Re 1 as cess on petrol and diesel respectively.
On Monday, twenty one opposition parties joined forces to hold a nation-wide Bharat Bandh as a protest against the rising fuel prices. Normal life in many parts of the country was thrown into disarray as protestors blocked roads and highways. The protest also saw participation of some traders' associations and industry bodies.
Led by Congress, the parties have demanded that fuel prices be brought under the ambit of Goods and Services Tax (GST), which will bring down prices by Rs 15 to Rs 18.
Following the nation-wide protests, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announced a cut of Rs 2 in petrol and diesel prices. The new rates will come into effect from Tuesday.
The Congress party started its protest march against rising fuel prices from Rajghat at 8 am today. Rahul Gandhi, who is back from his trip to Kailash Mansarovar, is leading the protest. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government for failing to rein in fuel prices and inflation.
(Edited by Anwesha Madhukalya)