Diesel price down, but not fare of commercial vehicles

Amit Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 19

The prices of petrol and diesel have come down by 15 per cent in the last six months, but the transporters and the authorities are “shying away” from reducing the fares of commercial vehicles.

All newspapers carried the headline “Prices of petrol and diesel cut down by Rs 2”, but it has given no relief to the common people of the country. When the prices of petrol and diesel go up the authorities raises the fares on the demand of transporters, but never lower them when the fuel prices are slashed.

The price of the diesel on August 31 was Rs 60.17 and from Monday midnight it has came down to Rs 51.73, whereas the price of petrol was Rs 76.66 on July 1 and now it has came down to Rs 64.41. But the fares of commercial vehicles, whether it is passenger vehicles or load careers, have not come down by a single rupee during this period.

Raman Sharma, a social activist in Jammu, said, “It may annoy the transporters, but I think the government should revise the fares so that the common people can also get some benefit of the cut in the prices of petrol and diesel.”

“But I think the government should first cut the freight charges, so that the prices of the essential commodities also come down,” he added.

Anil Chopra, president, All Jammu and Kashmir Passenger Transport Welfare Association (AJKPTWA), straightaway refused the possibility of cut in the passenger fare. “The prices of diesel and petrol are not the only factor to fix the fare. There are many other factors which decide the actual fare, like insurance, taxes, wear and tear, etc, which have not been decreased with the price of the diesel,” said Chopra.

“I don’t think the fare can be reduced. When the price of diesel goes up, the government takes more than a year to revise the fare. So it should not be reduced soon after the cut in fuel prices,” he added.

The AJKPTWA starts demanding fare hike on the rise in diesel prices by Rs 2 and to pressurise the authorities they come on the roads and call for “Jammu bandh” as well. But now when the prices of diesel have came down, they don’t think it will reduce the running cost of the vehicles.

Dilshad Khan, Transport Commissioner, Jammu, agreed that the fares should be reduced. However, she said, the prices of the diesel had not came down so much as compared to petrol. “I have decided to call a meeting of transporters, citizens’ welfare forums and Regional Transport Officers of the Jammu region to revise the passenger fares. But it can be done only after the model code of conduct is over,” she added.