That the economy would come out of the maelstrom it has been pulled into is to place too high a premium on optimism, given, among others, the reckless management of oil prices, which in the case of diesel and kerosene oil have yet again been raised, hard on the heels of a massive increase last week. The price of diesel used in the transportation of goods and people is again up by Rs 3.39 and kerosene, poor man’s fuel, by Rs 1.85. Petrol has gone down by Rs 4.65, which appears to be an attempt to put a gloss on the unpleasant move so as to make it seem less offensive to the allies and political parties. The reality is just the opposite. What it has given is a drop in the ocean; the paltry decrease would in no way reverse the effects of inflation. Already there are calls for Ogra’s dissolution, the organisation that is thought to be responsible for weekly oil shocks but in essence it has been acting up only because its strings are pulled by the federal government. One of the reasons is that the federal setup is not willing to part with levies that are denounced by its own allies as excessive. There is on the other hand, no serious effort towards tapping oil and gas riches even though there are some areas thought to contain the reserves. There is need to address this issue on a priority basis, apart from markedly slashing down the overall fuel prices.