Petrol crosses Rs 100-mark: Angst and despair among Delhiites

NEW DELHI: From filling a full tank earlier to now refuelling only for the immediate need, people have ways of coping with the rising petrol price, which breached the Rs-100 mark on Wednesday. While some commuters said they now think twice before taking out their car, others now carefully consider the distance they need to travel and the amount they need to spend on fuel. “The government needs to think about the common man, many of whom have lost jobs during the lockdown,” said Vicky, who bought a litre of petrol for his two-wheeler because he couldn’t afford more having lost his job recently.
TOI visited six petrol pumps in central, Lutyens’ and south Delhi to understand how the common man was coping with the unprecedented prices. At Delhi Gate, Afzal Ansari came to fill fuel worth Rs 500 and said, “I had two cars but had to sell one because it was no longer affordable to run both. The ever-rising fuel prices does not give us the pleasure of having two vehicles at home. It’s after a month that I took out the car today because we can’t drive it as much as we used to.” Ansari has a business in fabrics and finds it difficult to carry his wares in the Delhi Metro and feels the need for a car when travelling.

Lecturer Sarvesh Pandey drives to the petrol pump only when the car shows the fuel falling to the reserve level. “We take online classes, true, but we also have to report to work as part of the 50% staff allowed to work physically from the institution,” said Pandey. Chartered accountant Mohit, 26, too fills his tank only when required. At CP, he said “Gone are the days when one could fill the tank to the full. Now we wonder, is it even affordable to do this?”
Sales executive Jatin also worries about having to spend Rs 200 on petrol daily. “Whether we get food or not is secondary, but first we have to keep money aside for fuel,” said Jatin. It’s not just the commuters and common man who are facing the brunt of the price hike. Ironically, even petrol pump employees are hit hard by the rise in petrol cost. “We have odd timings and come to work sometimes early in the morning, sometimes late at night, so public transport doesn’t work for us. This means, every day we now have to keep Rs 100 aside for fuel,” said Sunil Yadav, a worker at a petrol pump.