LAHORE – The PPP’s government, which claims to be the poor-friendly rule, instead of caring for those suffering, raised the prices of petroleum products and natural gas about a dozen times during the last two years (2010-2011).
Now on the eve of the New Year, the prices of petroleum products are touching at average 100 rupees which in January 2010 were about 70 rupees. Similarly, the natural gas would be available at Rs70 per kg from Sunday (today) while in January 2010 it was available around below Rs50 per kg. The price of HOBC is Rs106.72, Premium Rs87.89 High Speed Diesel Rs98.81 Light Speed Diesel Rs86.78 and Kerosene Oil is available at Rs89.24. Similarly, the incumbent government, were obvious on Friday when it increased CNG prices to Rs77.14 in Khyber Pk, Balochistan and Potohar and to Rs71.07 in Punjab and Sindh, but immediately revised its decision in the face of a strong outcry from the people, reducing the gas prices by 60 percent to notify new prices of Rs74.30 and Rs69.62 per kg.
According to the data collected by TheNation, the government on January 2010 had raised the POL prices by nine per cent bringing the price of Premium at Rs71.21. After three months, on April 1, 2010, it had attacked the people by rising prices by 2.57 per cent and on the end of the same month it had ‘gifted’ the poor with another increase of 1.94 per cent. Though the cut in prices had been announced by Rs6 per litter on May 1, 2010, the OGRA had attacked consumers with petrol bomb on October 31 and increased prices by nine per cent.
Similar to this year, the PPP government had ‘gifted’ the people on January 1, 2011 by announcing increase in prices by nine per cent. But after sharp criticism it had take back its decision. However, after two months on March 2011, it raised the prices by 9.9 per cent. Petroleum prices were raised i April, May, June and July 2011. The present government had raised the prices of natural gas, the domestic product, three times in two years.