A cluster of price hikes has kicked in across Mumbai from September 1, touching cooking gas, vehicle fuel, dairy and transport in one go.
Individually, each increase looks small, a rupee here, two rupees there. Added together over a month, they add up to a real dent in household budgets. Here's how:
The Cooking Gas Squeeze
Piped domestic gas (PNG) rises by Re 1 per unit, from Rs 52 to Rs 53.
For a household using roughly 20 units a month for cooking, that's an extra Rs 20, not large on its own, but it stacks with LPG. Commercial 19-kg LPG cylinders are up Rs 9.50, a cost that restaurants, dhabas and small eateries typically pass on to customers through slightly pricier meals.
CNG: A Hit For Vehicle Owners And Commuters Alike
CNG rises Rs 2/kg to Rs 88 in Mumbai, MGL said, citing input cost pressure from the West Asia conflict. Consider a private car owner who fills 20 kg of CNG a month, that's an extra Rs 40.
For commercial vehicles, the impact multiplies: an auto-rickshaw driver filling 15 kg every two days, or roughly 225 kg a month, absorbs close to Rs 450 in additional fuel cost, one reason drivers have pushed back on the hike.
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Milk: The Everyday Essential Gets Costlier
Buffalo milk retail prices climb to Rs 110-112 a litre in Mumbai, up from Rs 100-104, driven by a roughly 25% rise in cattle feed costs over the past year.
A family consuming 2 litres a day would pay Rs 12-16 more daily, translating to roughly Rs 360-480 extra a month, before accounting for the tea, curd and sweets that also depend on milk.
Auto-Taxi Fares: The First Revision In 18 Months
Commuters relying on autos and taxis face the first fare hike in the MMR in a year and a half.
The minimum auto fare for 1.5 km rises from Rs 26 to Rs 27, with the per-km rate at Rs 18.22, according to The Economic Times. Taxi minimum fares go up from Rs 31 to Rs 33.
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For someone taking a 5-km auto ride to and from work every day, the fare hike could mean spending an extra Rs 10-15 a day, or roughly Rs 300-450 more over a working month.
For a typical Mumbai household using piped gas, drinking around 2 litres of milk a day, driving a CNG vehicle and taking autos occasionally, the combined impact could add Rs 800-Rs 1,200 to monthly expenses, depending on usage.
The higher costs have largely been linked to the West Asia conflict and its impact on global gas prices. Rising cattle feed costs and demands from transport operators for fare revisions have also added to the pressure.
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