Team Herald
PANJIM: The price hike of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder, ahead of festive season, turns spoiler for the much awaited Ganesh Chaturthi festival excitement after pandemic hardship across State. The price of LPG cylinder has touched almost Rs 898 from Rs 823 in June.
“Ganesh festival preparations have begun. We live in a joint family of ten members where we prepare lot of traditional food items to distribute among relatives. This requires lot of LPG. Also, on Ganesh day, we cook different Bhog (offering to God). Just because LPG price has gone up, we cannot stop celebrating right?” said Vashnavi Shenvi, a homemaker.
In addition to the cooking gas rates, the prices of commercial gas cylinders used in restaurants and eateries have also gone up as a result, eating in these places might soon become expensive. “We might have to consider increasing prices. But since it is now festive season, we have decided to continue with the existing rates of the food items. Depending on the situation, prices will be revised later,” an hotelier said.
Already reeling from the economic challenges of the second wave of the pandemic, rising prices of fuel, pulses, spices, vegetables, etc, the families have been dealt a heavy blow with the latest increase in LPG cylinder prices, which is second hike within a fortnight.
In the last 15 days, the price of an LPG cylinder has been hiked by Rs 50. It was hiked by Rs 25 on August 18, and again by Rs 25 per cylinder on September 1. Earlier still, in July, the price of cooking gas was increased by Rs 25.50. Thus, in the last two months, the price of LPG has gone up by Rs 75.
Ramesh Nayak, a private sector employee said “the inflation has hit the common salaried man very hard. At a time when we are reeling under financial crisis due to salary cuts and no jobs in this pandemic, the rise in essential commodities including LPG has worsened the situation.”
Sandra Borges, another homemaker said that she has already switched over to induction cooking. “Most of my cooking is done using electric appliances as they don’t consume much electricity. At the current prices, a common man, cannot afford cooking gas every month or every 45 days. So it is better to migrate yourself,” she explained.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), aimed towards promoting clean cooking-fuel has failed to serve its purpose with rising LPG cylinder prices.
A beneficiary of the scheme, Velip said, “we migrated from firewood’s to cooking gas. But now we are back to firewood’s since last five months. We cannot afford the LPG prices. We are happy with our traditional way of cooking.”
