Shillong: CM Conrad K Sangma ruled out fuel rationing in Meghalaya for now and urged citizens to prepare for uncertainty, saying the recent rise in petrol prices linked to global factors, especially the ongoing war.“The high rise of petrol as you are aware, has a lot to do with the external factor of the war that is happening and this is a global phenomenon and, therefore, it is impacting everyone,” the CM told reporters here on Wednesday.“So therefore, it is not something that is only isolated to Meghalaya or only to India, it is a phenomenon that is impacting the world at large, and many nations, in fact, had to go into even austerity in terms of rationalizing the quantity of fuel being given to individuals,” he pointed out.“I think that is what the Prime Minister’s larger message is that, it is not the time that we need to panic, but we definitely need to see what we can do because of the uncertainty that is there. What we can do as individuals is to prepare for the uncertainty that is in front of us, so, I think that is the larger picture,” he said.He also noted that fuel prices in Meghalaya were below the national average.“We will ensure that there is no kind of hoarding or stocking that takes place that could lead to any kind of rise in prices,” he asserted.On demands to cut state taxes, Sangma said Meghalaya’s rates were already low. “The country’s smallest states, like us, have got less sources of revenue and, therefore, it is a very difficult call for us,” he said.As on Thursday, petrol price in Shillong was Rs 102.56 per litre. Over the past 10 days, fluctuations were observed, with prices ranging between Rs 99.30 and Rs 102.59.
