People expressed mixed reactions to the hike in petrol and diesel prices after state-run fuel retailers — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) — increased fuel rates by Rs 3 per litre amid the ongoing West Asia conflict.
With the latest revision, the price of petrol crossed the Rs 100 mark in the local market. Petrol now costs Rs 101.26 per litre against the earlier Rs 98.29, while diesel prices rose from Rs 88.09 to Rs 91.03 per litre at the local filling stations.
Shubinder Kaur, a homemaker, said the hike was not entirely unexpected. Referring to the hype created after the outbreak of the conflict and the long delay in fuel price revision, she said people had anticipated a much steeper increase. However, she hoped industries and transporters would not pass on the burden to consumers and would instead absorb part of the impact.
Balram Sharma said middle-income families were always the worst affected by inflation. “This is the second shock for them after the recent increase in milk prices,” he said. He feared the fuel price hike could trigger a chain reaction, with companies raising prices of goods and services, thereby pushing overall inflation higher and increasing the cost of essential commodities.
Rajinder Singh, a farmer, said agriculture depended heavily on diesel. From ploughing fields with tractors to transporting crops to grain markets and operating equipment used for fertilisers and pesticides, farming activities largely rely on diesel-run machinery. Any increase in fuel prices, he said, directly raises input costs for farmers.
Another farmer, Bhupinder Singh, said every stage of farming — from sowing and harvesting to transporting produce to mandis — required diesel and petrol-powered vehicles. He added that the rise in fuel prices would significantly increase agricultural expenses.
Industrialist Raman Gupta said the hike would also push up industrial input costs. He added that industries were already grappling with slowdown and liquidity issues influenced by global economic factors.
