Rawalpindi : The fresh hike in prices of petroleum products has created a sense of anxiety among citizens who fear another wave of inflation in the coming days. They condemned the rise in prices of oil products saying it will have repercussions regarding prices of daily commodities, particularly kitchen items.
All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) President Haji Muhammad Irshad has announced to come on the roads against wrong government policies. He has called an emergency meeting in which APCA will decide to lockdown all cities and finally proceed toward Islamabad next week. We have no option except to come out from our houses to save this country otherwise we will repent throughout our life, APCA President Haji Muhammad Irshad told ‘The News’ here on Sunday.
The country is continuously going towards anarchy and collapsing of the present system because the public has started to come on the roads, as people from different walks of life strongly condemned the hefty increase in POL prices and demanded of the government to revoke them as it would create unrest in the country. People belonging to all walks of life have decided to come on the roads because the poor were continuously dying due to wrong decisions of the government in the country. It seems that the PDM government is taking the worst revenge from the public in the guise of lame excuses for the IMF programme or default, people strongly denounced government policies in reaction to POL prices here on Sunday.
Despite a hefty increase in POL prices by the government, the public is facing the worst shortage of petrol and has to wander here and there in search of petrol and diesel for two days. The ‘looters’ mafia has been waiting for the government announcement to increase POL prices therefore over 80 per cent of pumps stopped petrol sales on Saturday and Sunday. The rumour was that government will again increase POL prices on January 31 therefore public was facing a shortage of petrol.
The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) officials have admitted all facts and said that they were taking action against those who shut down petrol pumps in some areas. The officials said that the licenses of those closing the pumps would be suspended. The government has increased petrol by Rs35 and 1-liter petrol is selling at Rs249.80 against Rs214.80, diesel increased by Rs35 and 1-liter diesel is selling at Rs262.80 against Rs227.80 and kerosene oil increased by Rs35 and one-liter kerosene oil is selling at Rs189.83 against Rs171.83 and light diesel oil is selling at Rs187 against Rs169 per .liter.
The long-route transporters and goods transporters have increased fares by 20 per cent after fresh increase of POL prices. The local transporters have also decided to increase fares by 20 per cent. The District Regional Transport Authority (DRTA) Secretary Rashid Ali told ‘The News’ that local and long-route transporters cannot increase fares on own. We have started taking action against transporters they were looting public, he warned. The trader community and government employees have decided to start a revolution against the present government. The senior representatives of traders and government employees said that we will come on roads against present circumstances soon.
In fact, the transporters, traders, and the general public sharply reacted to the fresh increase in fuel prices. Wagon owners and drivers protested at the termination points of their routes in the twin cities while public transport operators of the Rawalpindi division would be meeting at the Pirwadhai bus terminal to discuss the situation.