बचत पर चोट

अमर उजाला कोम्पक्ट ने आज यह समाचार प्रकाशित किया है :
वाराणसी। बढ़ती कीमतों से जूझ रहे आम उपभोक्ताओं की बचत पर एक और चोट हुई है। एलपीजी, पेट्रोल, डीजल और केरोसिन की कीमतों में वृद्धि ने महंगाई की तितलौकी को नीम चढ़ा दिया। आटा, चावल, चीनी, आलू, प्याज, तेल की कीमतों के ताप से रसोई पहले ही तप रही थी। अब रसोई में महंगाई की आग है और जनता आगबबूला।एक बार फिर सोचने पर विवशरसोई गैस समेत पेट्रोल-डीजल की बढ़ी कीमत ने गृहणियों को एक बार फिर बजट पर सोचने पर विवश कर दिया है। शुक्रवार रात बारह बजे से कीमत में इजाफा कर दिया गया। रही सही कसर केरोसीन की बढ़ी कीमत ने भी पूरी कर दी। बढ़ी हुई कीमत ने शहरवासियों को मायूस कर दिया है। प्रीमियम पेट्रोल की कीमत ५२।९५ रुपये से बढ़ कर ५६.९२ रुपये जबकि प्रीमियम डीजल ३९.०५ रुपये से बढ़कर ४१. २० हो गई है।
आज नहीं होगी कोई बुकिंगशनिवार को हजरत अली की जयंती पर राजकीय अवकाश होने पर शहर की गैस एजेंसियां भी बंद रहेंगी। एलपीजी डिस्ट्रीब्यूशन एसोसिएशन के अध्यक्ष कुमार अग्रवाल ने बताया कि रविवार को एजेंसियों को खोल कर बढ़े हुई कीमत पर ही बुकिंग की जाएगी। उन्होंने बताया कि कीमत तय होने से पहले ही प्लांट से लोड कम कर दिया गया था। इसलिए पहले ही शहर में सिलेंडर की कमी हो गई।नहीं दिया पेट्रोलपेट्रोल-डीजल की कीमत वृद्धि का पता चलते ही दोपहर से ही पेट्रोल और डीजल लेने वालों का तांता लग गया। शाम छह बजे के बाद अधिकतर पेट्रोल पंपों ने सौ रुपये से अधिक पेट्रोल देना बंद कर दिया। कइ तो सादा पेट्रोल बंद कर प्रीमियम की बिक्री करते रहे। रात दस बजे तक शहर के अधिकतर पेट्रोल पंपों ने पेट्रोल की बिक्री ही रोक दी थी।
राजनीतिक दलों की कड़ी प्रतिक्रिया
भारतीय कम्युनिस्ट पार्टी ने मूल्य में वृद्धि करने की कड़ी आलोचना की है। मूल्य वृद्धि के विरोध में शनिवार को टाउनहाल से विरोध जुलूस निकालने का निर्णय किया है। जुलूस चौक, गोदौलिया होते हुए चितरंजन पार्क पर समाप्त होगा।

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Protests in Orissa over fuel price hike

Thaindian News carried the following item today :26 June 2010 16:14:39 by IANS
Hundreds of workers of the Communist Party of India (CPI) staged a demonstration in front of the office of the Bharat Petroleum at Cuttack, 26 km from here.

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Fuel price hike triggers nationwide protests, bandhs

Hindustan Times today carried the following news :
AgenciesNew Delhi, June 26, 2010First Published: 13:16 IST(26/6/2010)Last Updated: 19:10 IST(26/6/2010) The government's fuel price hike provoked protests in many parts of the country and brought life in some regions to standstill as political parties called for bandhs demanding a rollback of the proposed hike.
The price of diesel went up by Rs 2 a litre, kerosene by Rs 3 a litre and cooking gas by Rs 35 per cylinder. The prices of petrol will now be costlier by Rs 3.50 per litre.
Strike in West Bengal
Buses, taxis and autorickshaws went off the roads on Saturday in response to a public transport strike called by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) against the fuel price hike in West Bengal as the handful of taxis and autorickshaws that plied made a killing by charging exorbitant fares. Ferry services on various rivers across the state also did not operate.
The strike was called by CITU, the labour arm of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), hours after the central government on Friday ended government curbs on petroleum pricing and hiked the prices of diesel, kerosene and cooking gas.
Desperate commuters got onto trucks to reach their destinations while cycle rickshaws and the city's runner-pulled rickshaws provided relief to many while charging them more money.
"What can I do? I have to appear for my job interview. I paid Rs 100 to the rickshaw puller for travelling from my home to Ballygunge. I don't know why life is disrupted by calling strikes so often in Bengal," said Kolkata resident Amit Biswas.
Though flights and train services were kept outside the purview of the protest, people had trouble getting transport to reach their destinations from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose airport or railway stations.
Car owners were lucky as vehicles meant for private use were exempted from the strike. Metro Railway services, also in the exempted category, also functioned normally.
"There are no reports of any untoward incident. The situation is completely peaceful," state Director General of Police Bhupinder Singh said.
Bandh in Kerala
In Kerala public transport and commercial vehicles were off the roads in response to a bandh call by the CPI(M)-led ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), reports from across the state said. Universities have postponed the examinations scheduled for the day. There were no reports of any untoward incident from anywhere, police said, adding essential services have been exempted from the strike.
Protests in Maharashtra
Senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde led an agitation of party workers in Mumbai protesting the price hike and over all inflation in the country.
Addressing party workers outside state BJP office in South Mumbai, Munde said, "the anti-people policies of the UPA government are responsible for rising inflation," adding, "this will pose additional burden on the common man."
BJP workers organised similar protests against price rise in other places in Maharashtra, he said.
Agitations in Andhra Pradesh
All Opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday took to streets in a massive way protesting the steep hike petroleum product prices and organised agitations even as Chief Minister K Rosaiah said government would take a decision on July 1 on reducing the impact of the hike.
The protesters demanded an immediate rollback in fuel price hike. Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) chief Chiranjeevi, as part of the agitation, participated in a padayatra from Tummalapally auditorium to Sub-Collector’s office after riding a bullock cart fitted with lorry steering for some distance in Vijayawada.
Similarly, CPI State Committee secretary K Narayana also participated in a demonstration in Vijayawada.
Slamming the government for increasing the fuel prices, the protesters burnt the effigy of Central government.
Shutdown in Tripura
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led ruling Left Front in Tripura called for a 12-hour shutdown in the state on Monday to protest against the hike in fuel prices.
Left Front spokesperson Gautam Das told reporters that by increasing prices of petrol, diesel, kerosene and cooking gas, the central government "has made the greatest assault on people".
"The dawn-to-dusk strike would be observed Monday to condemn the hike in prices of fuel and to demand withdrawal of the decision," he said.
Demonstrations Punjab and Haryana
Opposing the hike in prices of petro-products, BJP leaders on Saturday staged demonstrations across Chandigarh. BJP workers also held demonstrations at other places in Punjab and Haryana.
Criticism in Jammu and Kashmir
Criticising the Centre for hike in fuel prices, the Jammu and Kashmir unit of CPI(M) today said the "callous and anti-people" decision is a crucial blow to the common man, who are already suffering due to the runaway increase in the prices of food and essential commodities.
Criticism in Tamil Nadu
MDMK leader Vaiko and Dravidar Kazhagam general secretary K Veermani today condemned the hike in the prices of petroleum products and asked the Centre to withdraw it immediately as the increase would push inflation further up. In a statement, Vaiko alleged the hike was only to "cover the uncovered deficit" of the union budget.
He said it had become the UPA government's practice to hike the prices of petroleum products at frequent intervals.
Protests in Orissa
Members of Orissa's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Saturday staged protests at various places in the state against the fuel price hike, saying it would "bring a lot of hardship to the people". While the BJD members staged protests inside the assembly, party workers and leaders staged a march in Bhubaneswar shouting slogans against the central government's decision.
Criticism in Uttar Pradesh
Slamming the UPA government for the fresh hike in petroleum-products, Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) on Saturday said the move will hit overburdened farmers.
(With IANS and PTI inputs)

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CPI flays fuel price hike

Ludhiana Tribune today published the following news :
Our Correspondent
Ludhiana, June 25The Communist Party of India (CPI) has condemned the hike in prices of petrol and diesel and their linkage with the prevailing market prices.
District unit secretary Kartar Singh Bowani, assistant secretary Arun Mitra, Ramesh Rattan and DP Maur said in a press note here today that the rise in oil prices will hit the common man hard as the people, especially those from the weaker sections, were already reeling under the high prices of essential items.
“It is an irony that instead of thinking of the common man, to whom the government owes moral and constitutional responsibility, it is more concerned about the profits of the oil companies,” they said, demanding an immediate rollback.

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Opposition lambasts fuel price hike,commonman's budget shrinks

NetIndia123 today published the following story :
The hike in fuel prices by the government today drew flak from the Opposition parties as well as some allies of the United Progressive Alliance, even though the business community, the Oil Marketing Companies and some experts described the move as a reform which brooked no delay.
The Opposition lambasted the government for its 'anti-people stance' as it will fuel the fires of inflation further. In the same category was Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee who said the hit will be taken by the common man. In fact, Ms Banerjee did not attend the EGOM which decided on the price hike, expressing her annoyance by not doing so. The business community was satisfied that the government was finally moving towards a market driven economy and giving way to the administered price mechanism. The EGoM this morning raised the price of petrol by completely decontrolling it.
As a consequence of this the price of petrol will go up Rs 3.60 litre. While the EGoM decided in principle to deregulate the price of diesel, it decided to increase its price by Rs two a litre. Kerosene will be costlier by Rs three a litre and LPG will go up by Rs 35 a cylinder. The wrath of the Opposition is likely to manifest itself in the next session of Parliament, who refuse to see the logic of the government of preventing the OMCs from bleeding white. The shares of oil firms moved up and the Chief Economic Adviser Kaushik Basu said the deregulated mechanism is better as when international crude prices go down domestic retail prices too will move Southwards. In all this jungle of voices, Laxman's common man was lost for all he understood is that the move will dig a bigger hole in his pocket.
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In Uttar Pradesh, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In a similar reaction, CPI state unit secretary Dr Girish said the party would protest the move of the central government and stage demonstration on June 26 at all the district centers and divisional party offices.

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पेट्रोलियम पदार्थों की कीमतों में बढ़ोतरी के खिलाफ भारतीय कम्युनिस्ट पार्टी कार्यकर्ताओं का लखनऊ में प्रदर्शन

लखनऊ 26 जून। पेट्रोलियम पदार्थों की कीमतों पर से सरकारी नियंत्रण हटाकर उसे बाजार की ताकतों के हवाले कर पेट्रोल, डीजल, मिट्टी के तेल तथा रसोई गैस की कीमतों में एक बार फिर बढ़ोतरी के खिलाफ संप्रग-2 सरकार का पुतला लेकर भाकपा कार्यालय से प्रान्तीय कोषाध्यक्ष प्रदीप तिवारी, जिला मंत्री मो. खालिक तथा सह मंत्री ओ.पी. अवस्थी के नेतृत्व में भाकपा कार्यकर्ताओं ने महंगाई और पेट्रोलियम पदार्थों की कीमतों में बढ़ोतरी के खिलाफ गगनभेदी नारे लगाते हुए एक जुलूस निकाला जिसे कैसरबाग चौराहे पर भारी संख्या में पुलिस बल ने आकर जलाने नहीं दिया। आक्रोश में भाकपा कार्यकर्ताओं ने चौराहे पर संप्रग एवं बसपा सरकारों के खिलाफ गगनभेदी नारे लगाये। भाकपा द्वारा जारी प्रेस विज्ञप्ति में कहा कि महंगाई के खिलाफ चल रहे आन्दोलन में भाकपा कार्यकर्ताओं से पहली बार पुलिस से झड़प महंगाई बढ़ाने और पेट्रोलियम पदार्थों की कीमतों की बढ़ोतरी में मायावती सरकार की संलिप्तता साबित करती है। मायावती को अब यह लगने लगा है कि जनता उनके पुतले फूंक रही है जिसे वह बर्दाश्त नहीं कर पा रही हैं और उनके निर्देश पर ही प्रशासन इस तरह से जनता के आक्रोश को दबाने का प्रयास कर रहा है। ज्ञातव्य हो कि बसपा संसद में लगातार संप्रग-2 सरकार का साथ दे रही है। प्रदर्शन में ट्रेड यूनियन नेता अजीत श्रीवास्तव, ए.के.सिंह गांधी, अनिल श्रीवास्तव, गिर बहादुर, बाबू नन्दन, कमल कुमार, कंधई राम, ए.के.मिश्रा, रंग कर्मी रिजवान, किसान नेता सिया राम यादव, सिया राम लोधी, फूल चन्द, मुख्तार अहमद, शमशेर बहादुर सिंह, परमानन्द, सरजू प्रसाद, सत्य नारायण, सुरेश गौतम आदि विशेष रूप से शामिल थे।

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