Dump dynamic pricing, say angry Chennaiites

Chennai: With prices of petrol, diesel hitting an all-time high in the city, motorists and traders admit that input costs have increased due to periodic price revision. Motorists, legislators and common man are now demanding the rollback of dynamic pricing and blame the Centre for not controlling the inflation.

“Soon prices of cab and autorikshaw will be increased if this method continues and Rs 76 for petrol and Rs 68 for diesel will only burn the pockets of middle class. The Centre has been autocratic on the decision and the wholesale markets in north Chennai are hit by inflation big time,” said Thiru Vi Ka Nagar legislator Thayagam Kavi. As the state is witnessing a series of protests and political uncertainty, the fuel price hike is not much discussed but at the grass root level it affects every person in society, the MLA added.

“I travel from KK Nagar to a government school in Vaiyauvoor near Vedanthangal which is almost 70 km from here and every month my transport expenses surge due to the daily revision of fuel price,” rues Usha Lakhshminarayanan, a government school teacher. “Though I manage the extra expense I find a lot people in the bus and the autos complaining about the high transportation costs in Chennai,” she adds.

“There have been days where BJP leaders drove bullock carts on main roads criticising the previous Congress government whenever it hiked the fuel price, but what is the Centre doing now. Back then the government directly increased the tax on fuel and now the Centre had vested the job of increasing the price with oil companies,” said Arani Sreeinvasan, a social activist in Choolai.