The current price of petrol continues to hike, with no decrease in the foreseeable future. In an attempt to uncover people’s opinions about the matter, writer Siddhi Choubey interviewed several people.
Abhay Tiwari said he was apprehensive about his monthly expenses when he first saw the petrol prices rapidly increase and only go higher. Petrol Price Hiked 78 times in 2021-22 and hasn’t been stable since.
“How am I supposed to balance my monthly budget if these petrol prices don’t stop increasing?” said Tiwari, a taxi driver and father of three from Mumbai.
The current price of petrol in Mumbai City (Maharashtra) is Rs. 106.31 per litre. The price in Mumbai City has not changed from yesterday, July 26th, 2023. In Mumbai City, the rate has stayed unchanged for the previous six months, keeping the price stable since January 10th.
Tiwari strongly opposes these high prices but also knows that there is no other option.
“We are all facing the same problem, of course, I don’t like this price spike but what else can I do?” he said, “I need to continue working.”
Tiwari said, “I am a local driver, I do not work under any company, so these prices make my life hard, I have three children, I have to take care of my house I have a lot of financial stress and these prices are making it hard to balance everything, there only so much I can make as a local taxi driver in a city.”
Ravi Prakash Langar, the owner of a petrol pump in Worli, Mumbai, said that earlier, being a petrol pump was easy.
“Previously, if you had a gas pump, you would not have to do any effort. You could have hired a manager to handle everything (DSMs, unloading, minor issues, etc.) and sat back and enjoyed the earnings with little work. Pull products are petrol and diesel. That means there is a high demand for them, and people will flock to your pump to purchase them.” he said.
However, Langar said that he now thinks that has changed.
“In the last ten or so years, things have altered significantly. Your ability to provide services beyond regular petrol filling will determine how much business you generate. The behaviour of your DSMs (persons who fill the fuel), extra services like free air and nitrogen, promotional events, etc., all play a significant role in setting your petrol station apart from competitors. You never know when a new petrol station will open nearby and cut your sales in half or more. In addition, numerous new laws have been passed that called for owner participation.” he said.
Langar said the price hike benefits him sometimes but the real benefit comes from the extra work he puts in his petrol pump. Langar said he believes that nothing great comes with inflation for common people.
“Sometimes, my friends and I carpool just so that we can divide these petrol costs,” Langar said, explaining his solution for this change.
Sundar Kesar, a scientist that is interested in researching the Impact of increasing petrol price raising in India, focused on Mumbai.
Kesar said he believes that petrol prices have risen dramatically, which will eventually influence everything we use on an everyday basis.
He said, “Petrol has become a necessity in our daily lives, and we struggle to imagine life without it. However, petrol prices are soaring, and this will eventually have an impact on all the things we use every day. Considering how hard it is for the poor to get a square meal each day, this will immobilize those who have already completed their education. The cost of petrol has increased threefold in just three years and is still rising.”
According to Kesar, the three state-run retailers are benefitting from this price hike in petrol.
"The operating profit of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) is expected to rise to Rs 1 lakh crore this fiscal year," he said.
Even though Tiwari is suffering because of this constant change in prices, he said he believes that this change is inevitable in a metropolitan.
“To be honest, as a common man all I can do is share my opinion about what is going on, but this price change is unavoidable, especially in a big city like Mumbai. I just have to accept it and keep pushing through just like others.” Tiwari said.
Even though Langar benefits from this price change, he too faces issues at times.
“Opposed to the higher-wage salaried class, only low-wage or fixed-salaried middle-class families are being impacted by price hikes and I am a middle-class man,” Langar said.
Kesar has found through his research that many people now use public transportation just to avoid these hefty prices.
“Through a survey, my team and I conducted, we discovered that people use public transport more now just to avoid the crazy petrol prices. But it’s not like this is a big solution. We know how inconvenient public transport can be sometimes, especially with Mumbai rains.” he said laughing.
While the continuously changing petrol prices have put people in turmoil, making them question their financial abilities and social strata, they have also allowed people to come up with new solutions whether that be carpooling or using public transport, that let them save money, and in a bigger picture the environment.
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