ISLAMABAD
\nIn 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.
\nThe 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.
\nAlong 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.
\nWhile 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.
\nOf 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.
\nSome 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.
\nResigned 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.
\nZara 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.
\nAhmed 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.
\n\u201cThe rising petrol prices have made it even more difficult to travel in this city,\u201d she said, adding that she was contemplating where she felt more comfortable working. \u201cI would definitely prefer to work from home on alternate days,\u201d she said, adding, \u201cPublic transport is neither safe nor affordable.\u201d
\nShe added that such is the cost of transportation it swallows more than half of her salary. \u201cOnline bus service Swvl has been suspended,\u201d 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.
\nTaha 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. \u201cIf I bought fuel worth Rs1,000, I used to get seven and a half liters of petrol which I lasted for five days.
\nBut after the increase of Rs 60 per liter, it has increased the burden of fuel by Rs 2,500 per month.\u201d 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.
\n\u201cIf all my money is going to go to paying for petrol, how will I manage my necessities of life?\u201d 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.
\nIn 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.
\nThe 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.
\nHiba, who is a student but also works to pay for her education, says inflation was already quite high.
\nShe disclosed her concerns about paying for her rising education expenses when the rising fuel prices added to her woes.
\nNot only do I have to go to university but I also have to go to the office. For me, the burden has increased on both ends of my daily commute.
\nI used to pay Rs10,000 for a van to travel to university, but now I the driver is asking me for Rs15,000 for the same daily journey,\u201c she said.
\nTo get to her workplace, Hiba said that she used to pay an additional Rs5,000 a month. But this too has increased to around Rs8,000. Cumulatively, she said that she now has to pay Rs8,000 extra every month.\u201cIn such a situation, I find it difficult to pay my fees, she said. \u201cWhen there is nothing left, how can a common man live?\u201d
\nShumaila, who is the mother of two children, explained \u201cI have to drop my children off at school and then pick them up every day for which the rickshaw fare used to be around Rs1000 per day but now the same fare will not cost less than Rs1,500. Subsequently, it will cost more than Rs40,000 per month just to drop the children at school and then pick them up again.
\nWhat makes it difficult for her is that the work-from-home was not great for her children. \u201cIt was too difficult to teach my kids from online classes during the Covid-19 lockdown,\u201d she recalled.
\nShumaila said she was struggling to meet her household expenses, from the increase in the school fees of her children, inflated costs of necessities and transportation costs. \u201cIf the government cannot show mercy to the people, then let them at least live with dignity,\u201d she pleaded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266293","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\n