West Bengal To Cut Petrol, Diesel Prices By Re 1 Per Litre
West Bengal to cut petrol, diesel prices by 1 rupee per litre
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said that her government will cut the prices of petrol and diesel by one rupee per litre as she urged the Centre to follow by reducing the cess on fuel prices.
“For the time being, we have decided to slash one rupee for each litre of petrol and diesel,” Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat. “We also demand that the central government consider cutting down the cess on diesel and petrol prices.”
The Trinamool Congress supremo alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government hiked excise duty nine times, even when the global crude prices were falling. “Our government has never increased the sales tax or cess during all these years. They are not thinking about the common people.”
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According to a senior official in the state finance department, the reduced prices would be applicable from Tuesday midnight.
Banerjee pointed out that some poll-bound states like Rajasthan had also reduced the fuel prices.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje announced a four percent cut in value-added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel on Sunday, which will reduce the fuel prices by Rs 2.5 per litre in the state. The Andhra Pradesh government, too, on Monday declared a reduction of tax on petrol and diesel by Rs 2 per litre.