Automobile and taxi drivers in Delhi have expressed disagreement with the recent increase in the cost of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), arguing that drivers are already facing rising operational expenses and do not wish to pass on additional burdens to passengers.
Rajendra Soni, General Secretary of the Auto Rickshaw Association and the Delhi Pradesh Taxi Union, reported that LPG prices have increased by 10–12 rupees over the last two and a half or three months. He also noted that repeated appeals to the government requesting a meeting have gone unanswered.
Soni stated: 'We do not want to burden the residents of Delhi. Over the last two and a half or three months, LPG prices have increased by 10–12 rupees. We have written several letters to the government asking for a meeting to discuss the problems faced by auto rickshaw and taxi drivers. It has been a year and a half since the government came to power, but nothing has been done.'
This increase occurred after Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) raised LPG prices in the Delhi-NCR region by 3.89 rupees per kilogram, citing increased import costs for liquefied natural gas (LNG). The new price took effect on Saturday, setting the cost of LPG in Delhi at 86.98 rupees per kilogram.
This is the fifth LPG price hike in the region this year and the first since May, when IGL increased prices by a total of 6 rupees per kilogram across four phases over 10 days amid global energy price increases during the Middle East conflict. Currently, LPG costs 95.59 rupees per kilogram in Noida and Ghaziabad, 95.47 rupees per kilogram in Meerut, and 92.01 rupees per kilogram in Gurugram. Prices vary across different states due to differences in Value Added Tax (VAT) rates.
The latest increase is expected to put further pressure on fares for passengers and freight transport across the Delhi-NCR region, as auto rickshaws, taxis, and a large number of freight carriers depend on LPG.