The common man is hit hard due to the sudden rise in prices of essential commodities, including petrol, diesel and cooking gas in Jharsuguda district.
The rising cost of petrol and diesel has been compounded with a sharp price rise reported in the price of vegetables, groceries and other essential commodities.
On Monday petrol price per liter in Jharsuguda was Rs 110.91. The diesel price in the district was Rs 100.06 per litre. Similarly, the price of subsidised LPG (14.2 kg) was Rs 1,006.
The cost of edible oil has gone up from Rs 185 per litre to Rs 200 per litre, whereas the price of Dalda ghee has gone up from Rs 150 a litre to Rs 165 per litre. The cost of refined oil has also increased by about Rs 10-15 per litre from Rs 150 to Rs 165. The price of peas, carrots, garlic, ladyfinger, and other common vegetables has also gone up by 15-20%. However, the cost of potatoes has come down.
Brajrajnagar Truck Owner Association (BTOA) president Satish Singh said, "Out of the 7,500 truck owners in the district, 1,500 truck owners have recently quit the transport business due to the consistent rise in fuel prices. About 250 are also actively considering moving out of the business due to fuel price hikes, he told.
As the cost of fuel goes up, and freight price doesn't, it is becoming unviable to sustain the trucking business, he added.
Ramesh Naik , owner of a grocery store in Jharsuguda said, "The sales of all essential commodities have gone down as people are purchasing less quantities than usual due to steep price rise seen across all categories of essential commodities.
Private bus owner Rakesh Kumar complained about the hike in petrol and diesel prices. "Running a bus has become unviable. If the price of diesel continues to increase like this, I will have to shut the business soon.". Auto- rikshaw owner Surendra Rana shared the same plight.
Jharsuguda based housewife Minati Pradhan said that the prices of gas cylinders, petrol, and essential commodities have been shooting up, and the Central and State Governments are doing nothing to address the distress of middle-
class families.The monthly budget of every household has gone up, but the Government seems to be least bothered about containing the inflation, she rued.