Patna: With the Centre hiking the domestic LPG cylinder prices by a steep Rs 50 on Monday, the 14.2kg cylinder will now be priced at Rs 951 in Patna and Rs 950.50 in Danapur area. Similarly, the cylinder under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana will be priced at Rs 671.74 in Patna and Rs 671.24 in Danapur area, according to a dealer at Saguna Mor, Danapur. With the main opposition in the state, RJD, criticising the the BJP-led NDA govt at the Centre after the fresh price hike, homemakers across Bihar said they felt betrayed as they are already grappling with increased household expenses. Chitranjan Gagan, the RJD spokesperson, said the public is already suffering immensely from inflation, and increase in the prices of cooking gas, petrol and diesel is like a thunderbolt for the common people. “In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi won the trust of the people by promising to reduce the prices of cooking gas, petrol and diesel. However, after coming to power, the prices of petroleum products have doubled or tripled, which is a betrayal of the public’s trust,” he said. The city residents too said the fresh price hike will have adverse impact on their home budgets. “With the cost of living already high, the homemakers, especially from poor and middle-class families, will be forced to make a cut in their other essential expenses, including food, healthcare and education,” Mamta, a resident of Pataliputra colony, said. Sona Sinha, a resident of Nala Road, said the govt shouldn’t have raised the price of LPG cylinders, a basic necessity, as people are already facing hardship due to constant rise in the prices of other essential commodities. “Necessary items like cylinders should be made affordable. It is difficult to balance ration and gas prices for the middle class,” Shobha Rani, a homemaker from Boring Road, said.
