Protests against record level rise in petrol, diesel prices

​Hanamkonda: Different political parties on Monday staged protests over record level of increase in petrol and diesel prices that came into effect on Sunday. Led by CPI state secretary Chada Venkat Reddy and state secretariat member T Srinivas Rao, the party workers burnt an effigy of the Central government at Hanamkonda chowrastha expressing their dissent over the rise in petroleum products.  
 
Speaking to the press on the occasion, the state secretary said for the last few months, diesel prices have been scaling new peaks every few days, but the increase came into effect on Sunday was the highest the country has seen so far.

The Centre has kept the prices under check in view of Karnataka Assembly elections and now allowed oil marketing companies (OMCs) to go for a steep rise in the prices. The price hike would have serious impact on the lives of the common man, Venkat Reddy noted.   

The consumers in Hyderabad have to pay Rs 80.76 per litre petrol and Rs 73.45 per litre diesel if the State taxes were included. It would in turn lead to increase in prices of essential commodities. Prime Minster Narendra Modi should have included petroleum products in GST regime to keep prices under control, he explained.

Venkat Reddy alleged that since the Modi government came to power at the Centre, there was 50 per cent increase in the prices of all essential commodities. The Centre must reduce the taxes to bring down the prices to help the consumers.

In an innovative protest staged by the activists of Telangana Jana Samithi, its district coordination committee members Tirunahari Seshu has pulled motorbikes tied to a rope expressing their anger over the price rise.

Speaking to the press, Seshu complained that the rise in petroleum products could lead to inflation. The Centre and the OMCs, which attribute the hike in prices to increase in crude oil prices in international market, were not bringing down the prices when crude oil prices were down.

In 2008 when crude oil price was 147 dollars, the price of petrol was Rs 54 per litre. Now crude oil price was 81 dollars in international market, then why petrol was being sold at Rs 80 per litre, he sought to know.

Stating that petroleum products prices were highest in Telangana, Seshu demanded the TRS government to give up its tax share on the lines of Goa government to bring down the prices.