Coimbatore: Even though there is not much work during the lockdown period, Madukkarai-based electrician B Dhandapani travels to his workplace at Town Hall on his two-wheeler every day.Dhandapani doesn’t know when he would get work.
But he cannot afford to miss whatever comes his way.
Whether he manages to find work or not, he has to shell out Rs 200 every day on fuel.
With every passing week, the amount he spends on fuel keeps increasing due to rising fuel prices.
On Friday, petrol price touched almost Rs Rs 100 a litre in Coimbatore.
“Two years ago, I used to fill petrol for Rs 150 every day.
But now I spend Rs 50 more.
I have been spending close to Rs Rs 6,000 per month, which is about 40% of my family’s earning, on fuel,” said Dhandapani, whose wife works as a domestic worker at Ganapathy.
“Earlier, she used to travel by bus to her workplace.
But now that bus services are temporarily suspended due to the lockdown, I have to drop her.
Unlike mine, her salary is fixed and nowadays, we are managing expenses with her salary.
So, I have no option but to drop her.
Even if my work gets over early, I have to wait for her till she finishes her work,” he told TOI.Like the Dhandapanis, most of the families in the district are affected because of the petrol price hike.
While some are cutting down on petrol expenses by limiting vehicle usage, others are bearing the brunt.M Gunasekaran, a Keeranatham-based graphic designer, has been spending at least Rs 150 a day on fuel to travel to his workplace at Gandhipuram.
“We have limited buses from Keeranatham and also, I fear Covid infection during use of public transportation.
I have been spending about 25% of my salary on fuel.
At times, I am forced to fill power petrol, which is a few rupees higher than the normal petrol, because of non-availability of normal petrol.”Arun Kumar Unnikrishnan, a resident of Vellalore, has decided to use his motorcycle instead of his car to save on fuel.
“Two years ago, I used to fill petrol for about Rs 500 to Rs 600 a week.
Now, I spend Rs 1,000.
I used to use my car often, but now I have decided to use car only when it is absolutely necessary.”