Here’s one more thing to add to the to-do list every morning: Check the fuel rates. Since the government has implemented a daily revision of the petrol prices, there is quite a bit to watch out for when it comes to planning our lives around it. Fuel is an essential commodity, and namma ooru residents tell us what they think about the newest change in their lives.
The price revision entails a constant lookout on the fuel rates before setting limits for a travel budget. Shawn Mathew, an engineering student says, “I use my bike to travel to college everyday and if I find that the price has increased, I will fill up just what I need for the day. The other days, when I have enough money and the price is reasonable, I will fill up the entire tank.” For salaried professionals foreseeing transportation expenses will be a hassle as Jason Joseph, a banker says, “The daily price fixing is likely to be a headache as it will be difficult to make adjustments for transportation expenditure. We will have to watch out for days when the price is reasonable to fill up since the cost is increasing.”
Suchi, a lawyer feels that as consumers who depend on the commodity there should be a constant look out on prices. “Earlier we, the consumers would rely on the two weekly announcements of the price changes. Now, we need to be more aware and more informed about the daily price changes so that we can make the best use of the monthly fuel budget and don’t exceed the estimated expenditure.” According to Sober Rajan, a therapist, there needs to be a better, formal mechanism to understand the change in the prices that inevitably increase. “As the prices increase by a mere 50 paisa every day, there is a chance that as people, we will slowly begin to accept the subtle changes. Earlier the weekly price changes were more disturbing as the increase would be sudden.”
The most positive thing to emerge from this move by the government is the necessary shift to international standards for oil pricing, says Rajeev Naidu a senior executive at a telecommunications firm. Suchi agrees that the transparency in the price changes by following global standards implies lesser intervention from the government and more scope for price control. “There is a lack of trust among the consumers and petrol bunk operators and even on this level of transparency, it doesn’t seem like things may change much in favour of the consumers.”
