Hike in fuel prices will hit common man: Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata, Feb 27(ANI): Union Railways Minister and chief of Trinamool Congress (TMC) party Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that the hike in fuel prices would affect the common man.

Consumers have already expressed their concerns over the proposed hike in fuel prices tabled in the General Budget 2010-2011 presented by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Parliament on Friday.

Mukherjee in his annual budget for the fiscal year starting from April 1 proposed an increase in factory gate and import taxes that would consequently raise the state-set fuel prices.

"See, if prices of things will rise then people will suffer. With price rise, common man gets agitated. Even otherwise, rates are very high. I run the railways with great difficulty. The prices of diesel and petrol have been increased several times, but we did not raise the fares," Banerjee said.

"People will suffer. Even in this Railway Budget for essential commodities, food grains, we reduced charges by Rs. 100 per wagon. Now I think if the government can control the prices it will be good, they should try," she added.

Petrol prices rose by Rs 2.71 a litre and diesel prices by Rs. 2.55, a move the government said will add to inflation. (ANI)