HYDERABAD: It is not just the fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), but price hike of other essential commodities such as edible oil and meat among other packed items that has adversely impacted the household budget of many in the city, forcing them to cut corners.
From adopting alternative transport modes to rationalising their monthly budget, people are forced to make changes at a time when many low to middle income households are struggling to emerge from economic impact of the Covid pandemic.
“The hike in petrol and diesel prices have almost doubled my fuel bills, making me shift from a four-wheeler to a two-wheeler. When an IT professional like me is facing this brunt due to fuel hike, I wonder how it must be affecting the lower income groups,” said Ramanjeet Singh, a resident of Gachibowli.
Many people have started carpooling and using public transportation due to the
fuel price hike
. People have also started rationalising their daily needs to keep up with rising prices of essential commodities.
“Despite living as a paying guest, my monthly budget has increased by almost 4,000. Earlier, my owner used to charge 3,000 towards two meals. Now, I have to pay 4,000 for the same. In addition to this, my travel cost has increased as autos and cabs are charging way higher than they were before the pandemic,” said Divya Jyothi, a sales personnel.
The LPG price rise has also made people explore other energy sources. Four months back,
Pavan Kumar from
Spring Valley
in Kothaguda installed solar panels in his house. Today, he cooks on induction using solar power.
“I was prepared for this rise going by the current situation. I installed the solar panels a few months back with which I can store about five kilo watts of energy that helps me reduce monthly power consumption and also aids cooking,” said Kumar.