LPG price hike, power cuts double whammy: DMDK general secretary Premalatha

CHENNAI: DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakant on Sunday flayed the Union and State governments over the latest hike in domestic LPG cylinder prices and the worsening power outages across Tamil Nadu, saying the twin issues had severely affected people's daily lives.

In a statement, Premalatha Vijayakant said the fresh increase in cooking gas prices had come at a time when soaring inflation and rising commodity prices were already pushing ordinary families into distress.

"The continuous increase in LPG cylinder prices over the past few months has placed an unbearable burden on poor and middle-class households. Citing fluctuations in international crude oil prices and transferring the burden to the public for the benefit of oil companies is unacceptable," she said.

She pointed out that people were already reeling from the impact of rising petrol, diesel and essential commodity prices, and urged the Centre to immediately roll back the latest LPG price hike in the public interest.

The DMDK leader also expressed concern over the prolonged and unannounced power cuts reported from several parts of the State, particularly Chennai and East Coast Road (ECR) suburbs.

"Frequent outages during both day and night without prior intimation have disrupted the lives of the public, students and small business establishments, besides triggering widespread resentment," she said.

Even if power shutdowns were unavoidable due to maintenance or other reasons, the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation (TNPDCL) must ensure advance communication to consumers, she added.

Referring to reports that Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay would travel to New Delhi on June 11 to participate in the NITI Aayog meeting, Premalatha Vijayakant urged him to press the Union government to withdraw the LPG price hike immediately.