Dubai: The price of petrol and diesel has risen to more than 25 per cent in Qatar on Sunday.
The new prices are set at QR1 (Dh1.1) per liter for 'Super 97 octane', while 'premium' petrol costs 85 dirham (Dh0.86) per liter.
Diesel will cost QR1 per liter, while the price of kerosene has increased to 80 dirham a liter, according to Qatari English daily The Peninsula.
The new rates went into effect from Sunday and are applicable to private- as well as government-owned filling stations.
What surprised many was the fact that government offices were closed during the weekend when a decision was made regarding the price hikes.
Petrol stations received notifications of the price increases on Saturday night.
“We are shocked by the sudden increase,” said a Qatari motorist who had driven into a Woqod filling statio.
However, as the news spread and people began sending SMS to friends and relatives, more and more motorists could be seen at several petrol stations to fill up their tanks before the new rates were implemented, reported The Peninsula.
Petroleum products are subsidized by the Qatari government and despite the increase, petroleum products like petrol, diesel and kerosene still remain cheaper compared to the rest of the world and even some neighboring Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states.
A Qatari motorist, Abdul Rahman Al Haidoos, said the petrol price hike was not a good sign, while another motorist said prices of petrol should not be increased along with the hike in prices for basic commodities.
“I had never dreamt this would happen,” said Haithem Fares, a Jordanian.
Social websites became abuzz with the news with people, particularly, citizens posting comments.
No one seemed to approve the move and they were surprised by Woqood's (Qatar Fuel Company) decision since it is a public shareholding company largely owned by the state.
“If a state-backed company raises prices of basic products like petroleum with such suddenness and by a hefty 25 percent, what happens to private companies that supply basic foodstuff and services?” asked some people.
“We were actually waiting for some generous gesture from the government after the Kuwaiti government recently announced free food for 14 months and monetary gift for its citizens, but what happened here is just the reverse. It’s shocking,” said a commentator, as reported by the newspaper
Some posted comments saying they would drive their cars to filling stations in nearby Saudi Arabia to get fuel.
According to the Peninsula some analysts said although petrol prices are not as significant an issue in Qatar as in some oil importing, the hike here would definitely force companies to pass on the burden to end users.
“This is sure to mount the inflationary pressure,” said an official of a company, agreeing that their staff transport costs could go up and they might pass on the burden to consumers.
An official from a shopping complex said commodity prices were unlikely to be impacted since household expenses on fuel doesn’t work out to much as compared to rent or food.
However, motorists said the recent price hikes would have a negative effect on their budget, adding that they feared the hike might lead to further inflation.
