With unabated price-hike, the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) price on Saturday surged up further by Rs 3 per kg, Rs 30 per 11.8-kg cylinder and Rs 116 per 45.4-kg cylinder across Sindh. Market sources told Business Recorder that producing companies have cut-short their production leading to price-rise of the commodity in the local market.
While, the 45.4-kg cylinder price has reached historic high. With recent rise, the LPG will be now available at Rs 62 per kg, Rs 665-670 per 11.8-kg cylinder and Rs 2,577 per 45.4-kg cylinder in the local markets of Sindh. New prices of the commodity will be effected from Saturday.
"Local producers are planning to get the price of LPG re-linked with Saudi Armco Contract Price. The recent blow of price escalation in the gas prices is a deliberate policy of producers," said Abdul Hadi Khan, chairman, LPG Distributors Association Pakistan.
He said the government's priorities are unlike to the issues of common man in the country. Its interest does not allow it to stabilize the prices of essential commodities prices, including LPG. Running a distribution business of LPG has become difficult with every day rise in its prices, while a huge population of the country depending on gas is under severe strain of price-rise, he said.
During the last 24 months, Hadi Khan said that LPG per kg price has shot up by Rs 17, 11.8-kg cylinder by Rs 190 and 45.4-kg cylinder by Rs 743, which is a phenomenal increase in a commodity of a daily use. He said the 5 percent development surcharge on the LPG will further make this sector decline, besides the gas will become a commodity out of common man's purchase. He reiterated that the government should make the producer bring down the price to the level of Rs 25,000 per ton.