Impose Moratorium on Fuel Price Rise – SDPI

Elyas Thumbe, National General Secretary of Social Democratic Party of India asked the Union government to impose moratorium on the unreasonable rise in the fuel prices in this challenging period of Covid19 pandemic.

The country is passing through the worst-ever pandemic milieu in the second wave of variant corona virus attack with high rates of infections and deaths across the country. Hospitals are inundated with critical patients that the hospitals are unable to provide life support to the asphyxiating patients due to shortage of oxygen.

The government, instead of providing solace to the citizens in this situation, is ruthlessly increasing the price of the petroleum products resulting in price-spike of essential commodities and inflation which puts additional burden on the daily budget of the common-man who is already struggling to keep both ends meet.

Though the government evades from the responsibility of price-hike putting the blame on the oil marketing companies, the rise in fuel prices, in fact, is caused by the rise in the excise duty. The halt of price rise for a while during the recently held state assembly elections refutes the claim of the government that it has no role in the price-hike. It means that it is still the Union government that decides the retail fuel prices in the country.

In this circumstance, Elyas urged the government to impose moratorium on the fuel price rise till the country gets relieved from the devastating Covid pandemic.