Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Affairs Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman has urged the people to adapt to the situation amid concerns over the potential impact of the country’s transport fares and overall living costs in the wake of the fuel price hike.

Speaking at a press conference at the Information Directorate at the Secretariat in the capital on Tuesday, he said the government is considering coordinating the transport fare in line with the fuel price and discussions are underway with the parties concerned.

The adviser mentioned that the impact of the increase in fares will not be limited to passenger transport; if the cost of transporting goods increases, it will be reflected directly in the price of essential commodities. He said the government has to take into account the interests of both the consumer and the transport sector simultaneously.

He added that there is no major shortage in the supply of energy, but the sudden increase in demand has put pressure in some areas. According to him, the tendency to collect excess fuel in panic is complicated with the situation. In some cases, he referred to the supply shortage of 10 to 15 percent, but he called it part of the global trend.

Zahed Ur Rahman said the government will take steps to control the trend of increasing the unreasonable price of the product in the scope of price hike. At the same time, he acknowledged that the impact of price hike does not fall equally on people of all sections of the society. As its impact on low-income people is high, support programmes can be strengthened for them.

According to analysts, this change in the energy sector could have a multidimensional impact on the country’s economy. In this situation, the main challenge of the government will be to maintain balance and strengthen market supervision in determining the policy.