Odisha protests diesel price hike

Non-Congress parties Friday staged protests in various parts of Odisha against hike in the price of diesel and restrictions on supply of subsidised cooking gas cylinders.

The government Thursday announced a hike in diesel price by Rs.5 a litre and capped supply of subsidised cooking gas cylinders to six per family per year. The decisions came into effect midnight Thursday.

In the state capital Bhubaneswar, hundreds of workers and leaders of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) took out a procession against the central government and demanded immediate rollback of the decision.

The protestors also burnt effigies of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

"The hike in diesel price would further make the situation worse for common people who have been struggling against high inflation and price-rise of essential commodities," BJD vice-president Damodar Rout told media.

"We want an immediate rollback of the decision. While hike in diesel price will hit transport sector and impact everybody, the restriction on cooking gas cylinder will hurt lower and middle class families," he added.

The Left parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party also organised separate protests in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.