A day after the Union Cabinet approved doubling of natural gas price, DMK chief M Karunanidhi today urged the Centre to find an alternative way to solve the issue, instead of hiking the prices.
“While the Centre has to take responsibility for hiking the prices of natural gas and petroleum products, I insist that the Centre should come forward to find an alternative without hiking the prices,” he said in a statement.
Karunanidhi said the doubling of natural gas price, coupled with hike in petrol rate, could result in an increase in electricity tariff and urea prices.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram has yesterday reasoned that the increasing gas prices followed the sharp dip in production and indicated that the Centre might decide on giving subsidised gas to power and fertiliser units.