PETROL POLITICS

Juggling act on petrol


First the news comes that the petrol and diesel price has to be increased to accommodate the international price rise of crude oils. The CPM which is part of the government threatens to with draw the support if the price is increased. This withdrawal drama is not new to Indian public; every body knows that like match fixing the price fixing has already been done in a five star hotel. The press releases a note, that petrol will be Rs.17costlier and diselRs15.Days pass of with people putting more than required petrol in their 4 wheelers and two wheelers as if that 10 or 15 liters will give them a profit of million! The drama goes on for a week or more, then some blast occurs or there is an on going national phenomenon call IPL which distracts the public and politicians when the prime minister suddenly gets up from sleep to say “ price rise of petrol is inevitable.”
Ultimately the d-day arrives when the minister declares that petrol, diesel and LPG price .Press media gets a big chunk of their paper or prime time coverage on this issue. The CPM and other parties who are part of the Government calls for a day long strike then the next day the opposing party repeats it. By this time the international price has dropped or has gone up further as if the OPEC were watching Indian move! Is it a move by a friend to take India back wards?
Due to bandh gallons of petrol and diesel are saved and the economy of the country improves.

As the kerosene price is not raised the adulteration level of petrol crosses the 50% mark. The gainers are the petrol pump owners who are also the relatives or party workers of the ruling party, who finance them during elections. Public knows (public hey jo sab jante hain) that they are being cheated in the afternoon light but can’t protest as there is a certificate from weights and measures department about the purity of petrol. Poor cars do not have symptoms like vomiting nor or diarrhea so the owner gets a bumpy ride with out any extra cost.
Lets do some juggling act and stop this nuisance of taking back India ‘s economy by a force which does not like our country to progress further.

Dr.Sanjoy Kumar Satpathy
HN: 4, Plot: 401/2362
Patia
Bhubaneswar31
India