LAHORE: The soaring prices of edibles and the recent hike in petrol by Rs 10 per litre have perturbed the people of Lahore. Moreover, the news of Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) seeking a 147 percent hike in the tariff and the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) allowing an increase of Rs 5 per unit also spread fear among the people.
“This Ramadan has been tough for me; it has been extremely testing for me to meet the expenses during the holy month. Comparing the previous Ramadan, this year I had to cut down on my monthly ration, as I could not afford to buy all the items I enjoyed in the previous years,” said Ilyas Ahmed while talking to the Business Recorder.
He noted that the price of chicken was very high throughout the holy month; a chicken weighing around 1.5 kg would cost him around Rs 1000, which has become out of his reach. “Even the vegetables were very expensive; with limited salaries, I had to cut down on my ration to meet other expenses as well,” he added.
While waiting to get petrol for his motorcycle, Muhammad Akram lamented the government for increasing the price of petrol by Rs 10 per litre; “the people with limited income like me were already finding it extremely difficult to feed their family due to soaring prices of food, but now this hike will add misery to our lives”.
“I fail to understand how this government was thinking; do they understand the hardship that we face every day,” he questioned. A lady commuting on a chingchi rickshaw cursed the rulers for providing no relief to the poor people.
She said, “The combined salary of mine and my husband’s was not enough to run a household of five members. One-time meal for my family costs me around Rs 500 if I cook a vegetable and if cook lentils then it will be Rs 300.
Thus, every day I need around Rs 1000 to feed my family; by the way, this does not include meat in our diet.” She noted that then there are other expenses, such as house rent, utility bills and commuting; with all these expenses, they are in deficit every month.
Mirza Chaudhry, a salaried person working in a private office, was perturbed over the prospect of a further hike in the tariffs of electricity and gas; “I am already paying over a third of my salary on utility bills, but after another hike, most likely half of the salary would be consumed by it”. He did not know how he would be able to meet all the expenses after the tariffs were increased. “This will surely also lead to more food inflation,” he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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