102. Betrayal behind the Indian petrol prices. P S Remesh Chandran

102

Betrayal behind the Indian petrol prices

P S Remesh Chandran

Editor, Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum
 Article Title Image By Skitter Photo. Graphics: Adobe SP.

No oil companies in India have ever declared before their share holders that they are suffering a loss or are going bankrupt. The share prices of Hindustan Petroleum, Bharat Petroleum and Indian Oil Corporation, after price hike, immediately rose by 8-6 percent. From the soaring prices of their shares it is as clear as water that they are all making unbelievably huge profits. What is not as clear as water is how many Indian politicians, parliamentarians, bureaucrats and their families are share holders in these oil companies or are their beneficiaries in one way or another. The politicians, parliamentarians, bureaucrats and their families needn't be infuriated after reading this. Being any of them doesn't now necessarily mean they are beyond corruption and clean in soul. Being recipients of public money by way of salaries and allowances, they are not beyond questioning by people. Moreover, the world knows that not a few politicians, parliament members, cabinet ministers, bureaucrats and their family members are lying in Jail now for corruption. So the theory is, the Caesar's wife should be above suspicion. If not, and if they are intolerant to criticism, they are always free to immediately resign from position and join the ranks of the public. An average Indian middle class family now spends more than 3000 rupees a month more on account of petrol price rise which amount straight goes to the share holders and spendthrift officials of the petroleum companies as these price hikes not have any relation to the international crude oil prices. If I am robbed of 3000 rupees per month, I will speak publicly and air my opinions. That is the principle of democracy. But the thieves certainly will wish the robbed to be not speaking.

 Article Title Image By Skitter Photo. Graphics: Adobe SP.
 

It was the long-cherished dream of oil companies that Government should withdraw from as being the controller of the price of petrol, diesel and gas and now their wish has been granted. What the people of India want to know is how much money was involved and changed hands in this scam. Without money, no politician in India is going to assent to a decision to withdraw from the supreme power and position to decide at what prices petrol and gas are to be sold in this country. When it is going to be revealed, it is certainly going to be the greatest scam in the world, after the 2G Spectrum deal. The Indians are no more interested in the selling price of petrol or gas but are eagerly waiting for the amount involved to be revealed, which sure will be. Abandoning the sales tax or the value-added sales tax or its latest versions won't relieve government of its sin in withdrawing from the responsibility for determining petrol prices. If the rubber producer, paddy producer, sugar producer and wheat producer can decide at what price their produce is to be sold in India, then why should there be a governmental pricing policy or even a government, for that matter? Why it is not done is because the rich political leaders of India or their family members have not as much invested in those sectors as they have in petroleum which yields 500 percent profits. Have at least 50000 crores changed hands?

Article Title Image By DB Chandler. Graphics: Adobe SP.

Since mankind abandoned the life of tree-dwellers and settled for a landlocked life, they have been using tree branches for making fire and cooking food. Since the time of the discovery of fire till the advent of the twentieth century mankind had been lavishly using firewood as fuel and forests have been replenishing fast man took from them. Then laws began to be passed, prohibiting the entry of man into forests for collecting firewood. Till two or three decades back, anyone could make a living by cutting firewood from the forest and selling it to people in the village. Those who wanted firewood only needed to go to the village square and purchase the firewood bundles laid there by old men and women. Now forest officials snatch away their axes and arrest and prosecute them. What tree branches they do not cut grow their full length, dry up, rot and fall to the forest ground, adding to the humus. So, the people who do have to cook food turned to kerosene oil stoves and those who did not have money for purchasing stove and oil died out in time. When people had wholly become dependent on kerosene, government decreed that more than two litres of kerosene oil won’t be sold to people through ration shops. No arrogant government officer seemed to think about how a family of six people could cook food for one month with just two litres of kerosene. So, people who could afford it purchased gas stoves and obtained connections for liquefied petroleum gas. Then, those frogs living in those ugly little ponds called the government service found out that people are misusing these connections and recommended curtailing the issue and use of gas.

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First the government sky-rocketed the price of gas and then decreed that gas cylinders won’t be issued more than six numbers a year to a family. The helpless people began to purchase electric heaters and induction cookers when government asks state governments to raise electricity charges and triple sales taxes for induction cookers and if possible ban them! One needn’t be a member of the elite ruling class of India to learn that in an electricity-short country like India, banning the use of forest firewood, kerosene and cooking gas would only lead to excessive demand for electricity and make matters worse. That is why wise governments in the past allowed their liberal use, that too at state subsidized rates. Without forest firewood, kerosene, LPG Gas and electricity how are people to cook, Mr. Administrator? The only reason for this kind of a crisis is the free issue of kerosene, gas and electricity to the ministers, parliament and assembly members and the senior bureaucrats of India. And they are issued all these without any limitations. Because they get all these free and without limit, they are bold enough not to think about their unaffordable prices or the total unavailability of these cooking essentials. Once these free issues stops, prices will begin to come down and everything will become available to people.

Article Title Image By Vijaya Narasimha. Graphics: Adobe SP.

[In response to news articles ‘Diesel prices increase by Rs. 3 a litre; LPG Rs. 50 a cylinder and Kerosene Rs. 2 a litre’ on 26 June 2011 and ‘LPG prices may fluctuate every month’ in Yahoo News on 03 October 2012]