ISLAMABAD, June 13: In the wake of the government hiking prices of fuel by Rs60 in less than a month to its highest ever levels of over Rs200 and hinting at further hikes amidst runaway inflation, many salaried individuals across the country are seriously looking into ways to offset the rising costs.
The federal government had first increased the prices of fuel by a whopping Rs30 to Rs180 on May 27. It repeated that move once more on June 2 to raise the prices by another Rs30 to an unprecedented Rs209.86 per liter.
Along with the price of petrol, the government also increased the price of high-speed diesel (HSD), which is used in vehicles such as buses and trucks, by Rs30 per liter to 204.15. Some accused the government of callousness for mercilessly burdening low-income earners with the immense weight of the new fuel prices.
While public transporters have raised their fares according to the rising fuel prices, some privately owned and operated ride-hailing services have decided to partially suspend some of their operations, a private television channel reported Monday.
Of particular note was Swvl, which was used daily by a large number of women to travel safely across the city. Its competitor, Airlift, had already pivoted away from daily commute during the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
Some people said that the increase in fuel prices will impact their lives daily since the most essential part of their effort to survive was their daily commute to work in offices, university or any other essential outdoor excursion.
Resigned to the fact that petrol prices may not come down anytime soon, offices should give them the option to work from home – at least partially – or compensate them for the high cost of the commute.
Zara Ahmed, who works in a newsroom of an English language daily located on the financial street of the city – II Chundrigar Road, said that travelling across the city was already a challenge due to the traffic and lack of safety in public transport.
Ahmed said that she has to travel around 20 kilometers daily from her home to her office, a journey which usually takes her around 35 to 40 minutes to complete. If she encounters, this period becomes an hour.
“The rising petrol prices have made it even more difficult to travel in this city,” she said, adding that she was contemplating where she felt more comfortable working. “I would definitely prefer to work from home on alternate days,” she said, adding, “Public transport is neither safe nor affordable.”
She added that such is the cost of transportation it swallows more than half of her salary. “Online bus service Swvl has been suspended,” she lamented, adding that there is a slim chance that her organization will accommodate the additional transportation expenses in her salary or give special allowances.
Taha Ali, who works at a bank, expressed his disappointment over the recent price hikes, stating that the recent price hikes were a crushing blow for the middle class. “If I bought fuel worth Rs1,000, I used to get seven and a half liters of petrol which I lasted for five days.
But after the increase of Rs 60 per liter, it has increased the burden of fuel by Rs 2,500 per month.” He added that a person with a monthly salary already lives hand to mouth. A hefty increase in petrol at the beginning of the month puts a heavy burden that makes it difficult to meet needs.
“If all my money is going to go to paying for petrol, how will I manage my necessities of life?” he asked. Taha said only those who go to work daily while paying for the fuel from their pocket can understand this problem. The company administration and the government may not understand this, he lamented.
In such a situation, choosing to work from home can provide the benefit of lower costs of getting to work, but it cannot be applied to every department as there is some work which cannot be completed from home.
The government, in fact, realizes this and has itself decided to cut down on the number of days people work in offices from six days a week to four. – DNA