Endowments minister C. Ramachandraiah wrote to Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy to help out households in the wake of the Centre’s decision to cap subsidised LPG cylinders to six per year, even as the RTC said that a fare hike is inevitable following the increase in the price of diesel.
Elsewhere, all Opposition parties protested the fuel price hike. The Left invited TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu to support its nationwide strike; Mr Naidu himself hefted a gas cylinder to show his protest.
In his letter, Mr Ramachandraiah suggested that the government subsidises two to three more LPG refills, as the state will get more money by way of increased tax collection on the sale of diesel and cooking gas.
CM unlikely to extend fuel subsidy
Sources close to the Chief Minister said that Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy may not concede requests for extending subsidies to reduce the impact of Thursday's fuel price hikes. The Chief Minister is of the view, sources said, that the government is already spending thousands of crores of rupees on several subsidy schemes in the power, irrigation and civil supplies sectors. Meanwhile, APSRTC MD and vice-chairman A.K Khan said that increasing bus fare is inevitable.
“There will be slight increase in bus charges. Within two days we will take a decision,” he said. The diesel price hike is expected to result in a five-per cent hike in the prices of consumer goods, and a three-per cent increase in industrial goods.