LUDHIANA: As the petrol prices continue to rise, people are starting to feel the pinch. What has worried the residents is that the rise in the fuel prices is having bearing on the cost of other essential and non essential commodities.
Sushma Verma, a housewife from New Janta Nagar, said, “It’s difficult for us to run the house in a fixed budget. With the increase in the prices of fuel, prices of other items like groceries or food items too have risen. This has only added to the woes of residents who have been suffering due to lockdown during the pandemic.”
Raju, an auto driver, said, “It’s been so difficult as all our regular avenues of earning has been either shut off completely or partially first because of Covid-19 and then due to protest by farmers. Now, the petrol price hike is the worst thing that can happen to our community.”
“It’s the worst year for all of us, first the pandemic and now the increase in the fuel prices. Only option left for the middle class is to suffer. Being a businessman, we are facing a lot of issues in which the increase in transportation cost is just one. The cost is cutting now into our profit margins increasingly. This situation is such that many small businesses are forced to shut down,” said Vijay Kumar, a businessman from New Janta Nagar, Daba Road.
Rohit Mehra, who owns a petrol pump near Bharat Nagar Chowk, said, “The prices are getting higher and although everybody will be affected, the common people who live hand to mouth will be affected the most. The prices are hiked due to rise in international rate of crude oil.
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Petrol | On December 1, the price was 84.02 on December 7 it rose to Rs 85.36 per litre
Diesel | On December 1 price was 74.56 and on December 7 it rose to Rs 76.52 per litre