Maybe 100, by year end:

May 17/2011: Gasoline prices have gone up, once again, by Rs.5. All those protests and dharnas of yesteryears have vanished. People in general, it seems, have resigned to their fate. Most of us have realized that screaming slogans and holding protest meets do not really hold any meaning for or impact the system any which way. Therefore, like the last few consecutive fuel price hikes, this one too went in to our pockets smoothly and will walk out after bleeding us a lot till the next one cuts even deeper.

The timing of this hike, however, stinks of that old political conniving mind that says soften the blow on the unsuspecting populace till the bridge of an election or vote of confidence or some such stupidity is crossed by the ruling elite.

These two different reactions show, very clearly, that while the people of this nation have matured considerably and are prepared, without even a whimper, to accept whatever it is that is doled out to them, the ruling class is outdated and unable to keep up or change its mindset from the old to the new.

It’s a fact that while in end 2010 a barrel of oil cost US$ 68, today the same costs US Dollars 110. Oil prices are not fluctuating for the first time. Since the 6-day Israel-Egypt Yom Kippur War of 1973, oil price has always been affected by everything that happens not only in the Arab domain but also in the NYSE. At that point of time all that Menachem Begin (with a little help from Moshe Dayan) and Anwar Sadat did, by changing the ownership of Sinai, changed the course of history to a great extent.

And now of course, all we Indians are prepared to believe that international upheavals do create situations that affect our domestic lifestyles.  When fuel price goes up, most middle class families are compelled to tie the belt tighter around their purses. Yet not a single vehicle, two or four wheeler, goes off the road. Surprisingly, our outlook of ‘live-for today’ is best seen in this single scenario. We Indians are not really bothered nor do we take care of things like climate change. Using vehicles, unless absolutely necessary, is something people around the globe are trying to avoid. With lesser populations, most other countries have been successful in saving non renewable energy sources and thereby saving precious wealth also. As a Maruti advert shows, we are a nation which is obsessed with mileage yet we are not concerned about savings as most middle class families are in possession of multi vehicles for existential needs.

This existentialism is a necessity primarily since we, as a nation, have not tried to develop mass transit systems. Except a few urban centers, public transport is virtually unavailable in India. Especially rural India cannot even dream of a dependable and punctual people moving set up. Look at New Delhi, for instance. The buses were horribly non punctual and dirtied the environment. This continued for decades. A small saving grace has been the Metro rail in that city but that is a ghost for the true requirement of that urban jungle.

Coming to Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur or Rayagada, we notice many cabs and autorickshas but none have a meter so people are looted in broad daylight. The system does not intervene in these cases. Everyone opts for a laissez faire situation that finally forces anyone who can afford to invest in a vehicle and burn up fuel. Now it is just petrol. Soon diesel prices are expected to go up alongwith LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). Once that happens, prices of other commodities will also sky rocket. In turn, inflation too gets pushed around.

Is there any answer to this problem? Yes. There has to be. Most people living in this country truly do not use much petroleum products. At best, a farmer may need some diesel for his water pump or tractor. Most farmers share out these facilities. Thereby restricting the per capita consumption. It is city dwellers and the upwardly mobile along with the government, aviation and armed forces who use most fuel imported into this country. It is these sectors who have to learn to reduce and save. If the government would have actually tied up fuel prices with international market prices much earlier, the nation would have also benefitted when global prices fell. The subsidy story sounds lame in today’s scene.

Now it is up to every one of us to be more alert and save fuel. All of us should be prepared to accept that by this year end, maybe, gasoline prices will touch 100 rupees a litre. At the same time the government too, instead of letting things slip away and fall into the hands of greedy Corporations, has to enable a honestly operated monitoring system that will look into future energy requirements for this country, plan imports and check national blackmail by private companies which have refineries and petroleum is their prime business.