The recent announcement of a 13.73 percent to 14.97 percent hike in natural gas prices by the Energy Market Regulatory Authority [EPDK] was met with surprise as well as a backlash as the dollar fell against Turkish Lira while the public expected a discount on basic consumer products.

Speaking to ILKHA correspondents, people in Batman, a southeastern province of Turkey, reacted to the nearly 15 percent hike in natural gas prices while called on the government to rollbacks hikes in natural gas, fuel, and basic consumer products, especially the recent hike in electricity.

Citizens who described the hike in natural gas by about 15 percent as major persecution noted that the hikes affect the poor the most, not the rich.

Muhyiddin Erdem, one of the citizens who stressed their opposition to all hikes: "We are against hikes in natural gas, electricity, water, foodstuffs while there is already a big unemployment rate.

Drawing attention that some shopkeepers cannot even sell one product in a whole day long, Erdem asked how that shopkeeper will pay his rent, his worker's money, the bills of natural gas, electricity and other staffs?

"And how will he make a living for his children? It is important to consider them. Despite the young population in Batman, the unemployment rate is very high."

"When people are in the trouble of making a living for their children, hikes are weighting their burden. Hikes should be taken back. The government should consider its people," Erdem said.

"Hikes weighting the burden of the poor, not the rich"

Another citizen Mevlut Türkan said that the people who were victimized by the hikes are the poor people. "It is very difficult for some people to make their livelihoods. But these hikes will not touch the rich. Hikes are weighting the burden of poor people."

Demanding experts to find a solution for the hikes, Türkan expressed his demand for the government to care about people.

Mehmet Hanifi Bulgan, another resident in Batman expressed that he did not find the hikes correctly. "These hikes are not true. The hikes are putting people into more trouble. In spite of all these problems, we are shocked when the hikes are announced. We demand the hikes to be taken back."

"We get news of a hike almost every month"

Shopkeeper Remzi Göker says they are now having trouble paying their bills.

"We got news of a raise again. We, shopkeepers, are particularly getting in trouble with the electric hike. The natural gas and electricity hike has brought us shopkeepers to the point where we can't work anymore."

Mehmet Şah Nergiz, another citizen in Batman, pointed out that the hikes are great cruelty to them.

Saying that people do not deserve this much hikes, Nergiz said: "Natural gas is a benefit to the public. But that much hikes victimizes the public."

Nergiz pointed out that the public's expectation was not met while people slowly lose confidence in the government.

ILKHA