Four fuel hikes in 11 days crushes logistics

Ludhiana: A series of four fuel price hikes within just 11 days has pushed petrol and diesel prices up by over Rs 7 per litre, severely hitting transporters, auto-rickshaw drivers, and delivery agents. Daily wage workers and trade unions are expressing anger, pointing out that the govt refused to slash retail prices when global crude oil market rates were low, yet quickly passed the burden onto the public the moment market costs rose.

The aggressive pricing cycle began on May 15, when petrol jumped by Rs 3 and diesel by Rs 2.94, pushing retail rates to ₹101.12 and ₹90.9 per litre respectively. Subsequent hikes of 90 paise on May 19 and around 91 paise on May 23 culminated in a massive spike on May 25. That final jump of roughly ₹2.5 for petrol and ₹2.6 for diesel dragged retail prices to an all-time high of ₹105.42 for petrol and ₹95.34 for diesel.

The cascading effect has severely dented Ludhiana’s landlocked manufacturing sector, which relies on long-distance freight to move raw materials from ports and export finished products. Local factories, already operating in survival mode for four months, face a double blow as peak summer power cuts have forced them to run expensive, diesel-powered backup generators, completely wiping out their remaining profit margins.

Ground-level gig workers and independent operators are bearing the entire financial brunt, as app-based delivery companies, corporate firms, and retail clients refuse to revise their commission rates or pay higher freight charges. Transporters report that inflation-weary customers are aggressively demanding discounts rather than absorbing the extra ₹500 to ₹1,000 required for standard long-distance routes, making daily operations financially unviable.