Hyderabad, May 1: Telangana’s Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has sharply criticized the central government for a significant increase of ₹993 in the prices of commercial LPG cylinders, demanding an immediate rollback.
In a statement, Reddy condemned the central government’s decision to raise the price of 19-kilogram commercial LPG cylinders by ₹993, calling it extremely unfortunate. He emphasized that this hike would burden small businesses, street vendors, hotels, restaurants, and ultimately the common man.
The minister accused the BJP-led central government of strategically timing the price increase to deceive the people of India. He stated, “We have consistently said that the BJP government is misleading the public. They waited until after the elections to raise prices, implementing this ₹993 hike just 24 hours after voting concluded in West Bengal.”
Effective from May 1, this price revision has pushed the cost of a 19-kilogram commercial cylinder in most metropolitan areas from around ₹2,000 to over ₹3,000. For instance, in Delhi, the new price stands at ₹3,071.50. Oil marketing companies attributed this increase to rising global energy prices linked to ongoing tensions in West Asia. This marks the third consecutive monthly price hike.
Reddy noted that the 30-35 percent increase would directly impact food prices in the market. He warned that this would severely affect the common man as food costs rise.
He pointed out that hotels, cafes, restaurants, small businesses, and street vendors heavily rely on commercial LPG cylinders. He added, “The price of commercial LPG cylinders, which was around ₹2,000 in most metropolitan areas, has now exceeded ₹3,000 in many cities. This is very unfortunate.”
The minister condemned this move, asserting that the Congress party has consistently warned against such policies. He called for an immediate rollback of the recent interest rate hikes to protect small traders and the common man from the effects of inflation.
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