By Pooja Solanki:
A breezy bike ride on our way to college or workplace is what every one of us would yearn for. But attributing to the latest petrol price hike, this dream would soon be passé. Certainly, your pocket money/stipend/salary won’t fit in all the expenditures, given the constant rise in prices. The Aam Aadmi has once again become the target of inflation, this time witnessing the steepest-ever hike hitting petrol.
The UPA-II government completed its three years this week and it could be well touted that the Congress-led UPA government gifted the common people of the country- a Rs.7.50 hike in petrol price, on this occasion. The state-owned oil marketing companies made petrol sharply costlier, shocking consumers. The hike has sent shivers down the spines of the common folks, upsetting even the Allies and Opposition. Political compulsions didn’t let the government to increase the petrol prices since the last price rise which happened in November last year. But oil prices shooting up following the huge fall in the value of the rupee against the dollar encouraged the UPA government to take this stern decision.
The whole country is taken aback with this stark resolution. Protests are widespread and there are political demands to withdraw such a colossal hike. Grapevine has it that a Rs. 2 to Rs. 2.50 rollback in prices is expected, but the government would rather keep this decision at a halt until it sorts out the tumble in the worth of Rupee and other economic challenges.
In all this political melodrama, the common man finds himself in a fix. He is apparently shouting: Mehangaai Dayaan Khaaye Jaat Hain! Well, this is quite evident, taking into consideration the ever-increasing prices of commodities and services and a meagre or completely no raise in wages. These days, it’s really difficult to meet ends, all thanks to the inefficiency displayed by the ruling government.
For all the young guns, the news has caused a great trauma. ‘Funds are low, debts are high’ is the mantra of the youth. With a limited and minimal pocket-money, they need to cut down on other expenditures and fantasies so as to save money for petrol. The ones earning stipends don’t seem to be happy about it either. The dreams of buying a bike or a scooty appear to be crashed for many. They would rather prefer walking short distances or hop onto a public transport. The youngsters on the go, need a personal vehicle as our good government has also introduced loopholes in the public transport system. Trains are late, buses are stuck in traffic… all these make us haywire and we often get late for our lectures or the worst, for the exams! Trainees and interns, who need to roam about, to get their work done grapple a lot if they are not in a possession of a personal vehicle. But the question of the hour is with such sheer hike in prices of commodities including petrol, one would dare to buy a bike?
A big scream from all of us : NO! If the present conditions are so terrible, what is our future? What would the coming generations do with such high prices and less availability of these resources? In all, it could be said that the sudden too-much rise in prices has affected the lives of all the age groups. Youngbees, we have a hard time ahead!