SHILLONG: The onslaught of COVID-19 and restrictions on economic activities coupled with increasing petrol prices in the state have been taking a toll on the life of commoners, who are now longing for respite from all perennial problems.
The agony of common man has so far fallen on deaf ears as petrol prices in the state have been soaring since the last six months, but fortunately, the trajectory of petroleum prices has started going down since December.
The price of petrol in Shillong is Rs 84.71 per litre while that of diesel stands at 76.26 a litre.
A citizen, Dipankar Dey, who rides a two-wheeler, lamented that the increasing petrol prices have affected his monthly budget. “I am not saying that the government should totally reduce the prices, but it should reduce it to some extent,” Dey said.
Meanwhile, John Lyngdoh, a local taxi driver, said that it is a double whammy for the drivers as their earnings were already affected due to the COVID situation and soaring petrol prices have only added to their woes.
Another person, Kapil Thakuri, said that he earns Rs 10,000 monthly and having to spend Rs 2,000 on purchasing fuel every month, will make things difficult. The prices should be brought down, especially at a time when everyone is fighting the COVID situation, he added.
Owner of one of the petrol pumps in the city, Sanchet Sureka, while talking about the trend in prices, said that prices of petrol in the state have been on a descent since September. While petrol prices have dropped by Rs 1, diesel prices have dropped by Rs 3.5, Sureka said.
He also lamented that sales drop as and when petrol and diesel prices increase.
Fuel prices had begun shooting up across the country during April this year. The state government is collecting a tax of 31 per cent on petrol and 22.5 per cent on diesel.
