Middle class furious, to bear brunt

BHUBANESWAR: Angry reactions, tongue-in-cheek remarks, tweets and Facebook updates marked the steepest hike of petrol price across the State on Wednesday. Besides, of course, the milling crowds at the petrol pumps.At about 6.30 pm, as the TV channels were abuzz with the Rs 7.50 hike in petrol price, the crowds at the filling stations began to swell and it continued till 10.30 pm in the City and well beyond it, on the outskirts.In Bhubaneswar, the petrol price rose by Rs 7.51 per litre and would be available at Rs  73.02. In neighbouring Cuttack, it is priced at Rs 72.98 per litre.Since not many wanted to pay that hiked price which came into effect from mid-night, soon some service stations went dry. City police also mobilised its PCR vans to petrol pumps to keep a watch on the public which was clearly shocked.People were seen reacting angrily to the hike at the petrol pumps. “The electricity tariff has gone up and now the petrol prices have jumped. This is a killer blow from the UPA Government because the middle class will be the hardest hit,” said Souvik Kanungo, an accounts officer with a private firm.The social media went crazy. A tweet by Susim Mohanty, who works with a telecom company, read: “I doubt if Aamir Khan will take up the petrol price hike issue in the next episode of Satyamev Jayate... It’s also a national shame.”A joke doing the rounds in Facebook summed up the mood. It read - Petrol pump attendant: kitne ka dalun? Customer: Bas do chaar rupaye ka gaadi ke upar spray karde bhai, aag lagani hai!