Kerala Chief Minister-designate V D Satheesan on Friday said the state government was assessing ways to cushion the public from the impact of the latest fuel price hike, while former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan strongly criticised the Centre’s decision, calling it a “grave injustice” to ordinary people.
Addressing reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Satheesan said discussions were underway with officials to evaluate how the increase in petroleum prices would affect the public before taking a final decision.
“We are examining the impact of the fuel price hike on the people and will decide on the next course of action after detailed discussions,” he said.
Vijayan, in a statement, accused the Union government of imposing an additional financial burden on citizens already struggling with rising living costs and inflation, instead of offering relief.
The senior CPI(M) leader demanded the immediate rollback of what he described as an “unjust decision that protects corporates at the expense of the people”.
He alleged that when international crude oil prices declined, the benefits were not passed on to consumers. Now, under the pretext of compensating oil companies for losses, petrol and diesel prices have been increased by Rs 3 per litre each, he said.
The hike, announced on Friday, marks the first increase in fuel prices in over four years and comes amid mounting losses faced by fuel retailers due to rising global crude oil prices.
Vijayan also said the move would further worsen the hardships faced by people dealing with soaring prices and shortages of cooking gas, which he blamed on the Centre’s policies.
He warned that the increase in petrol and diesel prices would trigger a fresh spike in transportation costs and the prices of essential commodities, adversely affecting workers, farmers and middle-class families across the country.
(With inputs from PTI)
