Rising gas prices have also driven up the price of fruits, vegetables and other essentials.
Rush for gasoline. Photo: file
LAHORE:
A sharp increase of Rs 55 per liter in the price of petrol has intensified the cost of living, with residents reporting higher transport fares and rise in prices of daily use items.
Following the government’s late night announcement, citizens said the increase had triggered a spike in prices ranging from food items to transportation costs.
People also reported conflicts at gas pumps, where attendants refused to dispense fuel worth less than a liter. According to residents, many customers asked for gasoline worth Rs 150 or 200, but the pump staff refused, saying that the flow rate from the nozzles is fixed and the fuel is dispensed in smaller or larger quantities, leading to frequent arguments.
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Rising gas prices have also pushed up the price of fruits, vegetables and other essentials. Traders said the cost of transportation for bringing fruits, vegetables and goods was earlier around Rs 1,000 per trip but has now increased to between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000.
Drivers providing transport services for school children have also increased their fares, with residents saying the entire burden has been shifted to the public.
Citizens said rising prices had made life increasingly difficult, adding that they were struggling to choose between buying fuel and meeting basic household needs.
Talk to The Express PK Press Clubresidents, including Amir, Babar, Intikhab, Zahoor and Rashid, said salaries were already low while inflation continued to rise.
Amir said that he had earlier bought petrol worth Rs 1,000, which lasted for about 15 days, but now the same quantity would not even suffice for four days.
Rashid, who works loading and unloading, said work was already scarce and wondered how many more people could afford to pay for transportation costs.
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Rickshaw driver Ilyas said passengers often argued over fares and rides were already limited, adding that it would be difficult for passengers to pay between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 per ride.
Residents also said the government should have thought about the impact before increasing prices, adding that even though a reduction of Rs 10,000 was announced for Ramazan, the price hike had taken much more money from people’s pockets.
