Consumers unable to withstand hike in LPG prices now in Chennai.
Posted on: 16/Feb/2021 10:09:18 AM
On Monday, the cooking gas consumers had a huge shock!! The reason for that was due to the sudden hike in the prices of LPG cylinders. From Rs 735, the price of non-subsidised domestic cylinders rose up to Rs 785 in Chennai. Truth is that the subsidy component remained at Rs 24.9 per cylinder. This is the second time the prices of LPG cylinders have increased in this month.
In the beginning of this month, it was Rs 735 for a domestic cylinder and in the last month the price was at Rs 710 per cylinder. The burden has increased and this was as per a consumer belonging to Mylapore. He shed light on how in the last one and half months of time the prices have gone up to Rs 175 a cylinder and how rise in prices had happened 2 times in a single month.
He explained about how in many households people have stopped buying essential medicines for hypertension, diabetes etc and how they had depended fully on the rice issued by the public distribution system. The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in job loss or reduced salary for many people in Chennai and the residents have been finding it difficult to make both ends meet. Therefore, the increase in the prices of LPG cylinders was unacceptable at this point of time.
It must be taken into note that LPG cylinder prices are fixed based on the international prices and the prices should have increased by Rs 90 per cylinder in the beginning of this month itself. This was as per an observer from the oil industry. He added that since the Parliament was in full session the prices were not increased.
The bookings for LPG cylinders have gone down this month. This was brought out by a distributor in Chennai. He threw light on how when the cylinder was priced at Rs 800 the last time the subsidy component was Rs 340 for refill. At present it is just Rs 25 which is a very low amount.
The oil companies must come forward to help the consumers at this point of time and this was according to Mr. J. Jayakumar, general secretary TN Progressive Consumer Centre. He then mentioned how the government was of the view that the LPG cylinder price get fixed by the public sector undertakings. He concluded that the oil companies must help the consumers by bearing atleast a portion of the hike.
