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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Healthy life and social harmony — bright side of fuel price hike

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By Kaushalendra Singh — SALALAH: Feb. 12 - Rise in oil price has fuelled economic debate everywhere. Some are trying to find out its economic impact in general while others are finding the removal of subsidies a good way to narrow the budget deficit gap. The debates are heavy and boring sometimes. Hardly anyone is talking about its brighter side, which is linked directly to an individual’s health and social harmony the oil price hike has generated as a result of all this.


A chance meeting with an Omani gentleman on an evening walk revealed lots of good sense behind the fuel price hike. Without mincing words he said: “I was getting bored at home and due to high petrol price I did not want to burn my pocket further by taking my four-wheel out of my house, I decided to go for a walk one day. I felt good and continuing with the practice every day now. I am feeling good, light and healthy.”


A hope has also been raised in 50-year-old and 90-something in weight Abdul that he can reduce weight and control his blood pressure. He is not only doing the evening walk alone, but has invited some friends to join and get benefitted.


He admits that he is able to give more time to his family due to which all his children are very happy and feels that his daily schedule is also improving due to cut in unnecessary roaming around till late in the night.


“Usually I go to bed very late. But due to the fact that I stopped roaming around and late night sitting with my friends, I ended up sleeping as early as 10 pm one day. I got up automatically at 4 pm. Since everyone in the family was still sleeping, I was struggling to sleep again but failed. Then I woke up my children and started playing with them, my wife also joined and it was real fun for all of us,” said Abdul with honest admission that he did not have to struggle much to reach office on time that day.


“This saved me from unnecessary consumption of Shisha (a kind of tobacco inhaling device), which I did regularly along with my friends almost daily,” he said.


He, however, felt sorry for the operators of the coffee shop where he had been sitting for several years. “I must be contributing something to their business,” said Abdul with a big smile.


Abdul is not the only one who is into forced praise of the fuel price hike. Mirbat resident Mohammed said he started developing taste for home-made food after he cut down on extra roaming around in his vehicle after the fuel price hike.


“Earlier, almost every day I would eat outside along with my friends. Now, while staying at home after some local walk etc, I had an opportunity to have home-made food. It is not only tasty, it is light and healthy.”


“What is more important is sharing time with family members on the dining table. I do not endorse the fuel price hike but this is a situation and I am trying to create a good situation out of this,” said Mohammed.


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