Hyderabad: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy had criticised the commercial LPG price hike of ₹993, calling it a burden on small businesses and the common public.
He described the commercial LPG price hike as unfortunate and accused the Union government of timing the increase strategically. He said the move would impact street vendors, hotels, restaurants and small traders.
Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government delayed the hike until polling concluded. “We have been telling right through that the BJP government is cheating the people of India,” he said.
“They were waiting for the polling to be over to raise the prices. Within 24 hours of West Bengal polling ending, they increased commercial LPG prices by about 30-35%,” he added.
Commercial LPG price hike linked to inflation concerns
The price revision took effect on Friday and pushed the cost of a 19-kg commercial cylinder above ₹3,000 in most metropolitan cities. Oil marketing companies attributed the hike to rising global energy prices amid West Asia tensions.
This marked the third consecutive monthly increase in commercial LPG rates. Therefore, the Minister warned of a cascading impact on food prices.
“This will immediately have a cascading effect and the cost of food prices on the street will go up,” he said. He added that the burden would fall heavily on the common man.
Commercial LPG price hike hits businesses and vendors
Uttam Kumar Reddy said commercial LPG cylinders were widely used by hotels, cafes and small businesses. As a result, the price rise would directly affect operating costs.
He noted that cylinder prices had increased from around ₹2,000 to over ₹3,000 in most cities. “Very unfortunate,” he remarked.
The Minister strongly criticised the policy and said the Congress had consistently opposed such measures. He demanded an immediate rollback of the commercial LPG price hike.
He said the rollback was necessary to protect small traders and prevent further inflation. The commercial LPG price hike, he added, would otherwise deepen financial strain on the public.