Virbhadra Sought Respite For The State By Reducing The Diesel Price Hike
5 Dariya News Service (Vijyender Sharma)
Shimla 17-Sep-2012
Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee President Virbhadra Singh today sought respite for the state by reducing the diesel price hike besides demanding at least 12 subsidised LPG cylinders per family in a year. Singh also urged UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to review and reconsider the recent hike in diesel price and limiting the number of subsidized LPG cylinders to six and requested for giving respite to Himachal Pradesh, being a special category state. He had stressed upon the UPA Chairperson to suitably cut the hike in the price of diesel and increase the number of subsidised LPG cylinders to domestic consumers from proposed six to at least 12 cylinders in a year. In a letter addressed to the UPA Chairperson, he said, Himachal Pradesh was predominantly a hill State where roads were the only means of communication in the absence of rail and other means of transport. Most of the transportation was through roads, which were aptly called the life lines of development and all socio-economic activities. He said although the recent hike in the price of diesel had become unavoidable due to consistent rise in international oil prices and mounting under-recoveries of the oil companies, it would hit the people of the state worst of all since they were totally dependent on road transport for all their needs. He said the hike in diesel price would have a spiralling effect on prices of essential commodities and transport facilities in the state and pleaded to tone down the hike or minimise it by allowing special subsidy on it to Himachal Pradesh. Mr Singh said the green forests in the state were the lungs of the country preserving the pristine Himalayan ecology and conserving the environment and recalled that Congress Government was the first in the country to ban the felling of green trees in the state 1986. Since then fuel-wood has been systematically replaced by other alternate sources of cooking and energy, LPG being the most popular and environment friendly. Gas agencies had been opened in all parts of the state even in backward and remote areas to promote the use of LPG and also ensure theiravailability. The recent decision to curtail the number of subsidised LPG cylinders to six in a year, would not only hit the economy of the poor state people but will also adversely affect the endeavours to preserve green cover in the State, he said. The HPCC president also asked the state government to reduce sales tax and VAT on diesel. The state government was already charging a higher tax of 20 per cent on diesel.