Commercial LPG Price Hike: Hoteliers Unhappy
The prices of vegetables are skyrocketing and the power tariff has also gone up — amid all this, a hike in price of LPG is only increasing the crisis situation of hoteliers who use commercial LPG for their businesses.
Days before, in July itself, the price of commercial LPG was hiked by Rs 8 in Chennai, said a report on The Hindu. As per M Ravi of Chennai Hotels Association, an average- sized hotel with a footfall of 1,500 persons a day would require at least 10 cylinders daily. An increase of Rs 8 means additional spending of Rs 80 per day, which becomes Rs 2,400 a month.
Even though Rs 2,400 may seem like a small amount to a hotel with a footfall of 1,500 persons a day, when the prices of vegetables and the hike in power tariff are added to it, the burden becomes unbearable, M. Ravi of Chennai Hotels Association told the newspaper.
”We are already paying a higher slab (compared to domestic consumers) due to the commercial nature of our establishments. It is not correct to fix different rates for different times for the same commodity. It seems like an unfair trade practice,” he explained.
“Our country has a very large consumer base, and in such a case, we should have the upper hand in fixing prices. If commercial LPG prices are revised every month, the hike will ultimately passed on to consumers. Many households especially those with only elders, depend on hotels even for regular food,” said consumer activist T. Sadagopan, according to the report.
