The impact of inflation in Pakistan is also visible on the railways. Due to the increase in diesel prices, the railway has increased train fares for the second time in 15 days. Along with this, the prices of petrol, diesel, and gas have also increased.
Pakistan: The people of Pakistan, who are already struggling with an economic crisis, have been dealt another major blow. Pakistan Railways has increased the fares of passenger, mail, and express trains by 2 percent. This increase has come into effect from July 4. The special thing is that this is the second time in just 15 days that the railway fares have been increased.
According to Pakistan Railways, due to the increase in diesel prices, the railways are incurring a loss of approximately 109 million Pakistani rupees every month. Due to this, the railway had to increase the ticket fares. The increased rates will also apply to advance bookings. The railway has ordered its IT Director and Divisional Superintendents (DS) to ensure strict compliance with the increased fares.
Fare hike also happened on June 18
Earlier, on June 18, Pakistan Railways had increased the fares of passenger trains by 3 percent and freight trains by 4 percent. At that time also, the increase in diesel and petrol prices was cited as the reason. Now, based on the same logic, the fares have been increased again.
Sharp increase in petrol and diesel prices
Along with rail fares, the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel are also continuously increasing. According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Finance of Pakistan, the price of petrol has been increased by 14.80 Pakistani rupees per liter, making the new price 266.89 rupees per liter.
Similarly, the price of high-speed diesel has been increased by 10.39 rupees and it is now being sold at 272.98 rupees per liter. This increase will be effective until July 15, and the situation will be reviewed thereafter.
The burden of gas on people's pockets as well
After petrol and diesel, the prices of domestic gas have also been increased. Although there has been no change in the tier rates for domestic consumers, the monthly fixed charges have been increased.
According to reports, consumers who fall under the 'security' category will now have to pay 600 Pakistani rupees per month, which was previously 400 rupees. At the same time, the monthly fee of those customers who have no security has been increased from 1000 rupees to 1500 rupees.
Consumers using more than 1.5 cubic meters of gas will now have to pay up to 2400 Pakistani rupees, which was previously 2000 rupees. This makes it clear that the burden on the common people has increased further.
Why are petroleum prices increasing?
According to experts, the rise in prices in the global oil market, the weakening of the Pakistani rupee against the dollar, and the government's need for revenue growth are the major reasons for this inflation. The government is also having to reduce subsidies under pressure from the IMF, due to which the cost of every item is increasing.
These things were said in the government notification
According to a report by ARY News, the government has implemented the railway fare hike and changes in petroleum prices through a formal notification. It stated that this decision has been taken with the aim of cost recovery and regulatory compliance.
Public outrage, protests on the streets
The already rising inflation, unemployment, and weak incomes have broken the backs of the people in the country. In such a situation, there is a lot of outrage among the public regarding the increase in railway and fuel prices. Citizen organizations have protested against these increases in many cities. People are also questioning the government's policies on social media.
Regarding this new wave of inflation, the opposition parties in Parliament have bly attacked the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif government. The opposition says that the government is burdening the people every time in the name of diesel-petrol, while no cuts are being made in its own expenses.
