PATNA /HYDERABAD/AMRITSAR (TIP): People across the country have expressed outrage following the central government’s decision to hike diesel price by five rupees per litre, and restricted sales of subsidized cooking fuel or Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders to six per consumer annually.

“We are already reeling under high inflationary prices, specially the service class and lower income group is completely distressed. High income level groups or politicians will not get affected but the middle class and lower middle class should just die because of the inflationary prices,” said Amarendra Kumar, a car owner in Patna.

Mohammad Ibrahim, a daily wage earner in Hyderabad, expressed the agony of millions of families who live hand to mouth and would directly get affected by the sharp rise in diesel price. “The fuel hike is an addition to the problems of daily wage earners.

People who run families are facing a lot of problems ….. we have young children and need to save every month,” said Ibrahim, owner of a motorbike and bread earner for a family of six persons. Diesel fed vehicle owners feel that the government’s decision is unwarranted . “We can’t help it, buying diesel is a necessity. Since they have increased the fuel price we have to make do with it. If the government hikes prices of diesel and petrol we have to spend more from our pockets,” said Rahul Kapoor, owner of an SUV in Amritsar.

The Government has increased the price of diesel by five rupees per litre. However, there has been no increase in prices of petrol and PDS kerosene. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), in its meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh yesterday also decided to restrict the supply of subsidized LPG cylinders to each consumer to six per year.