Bhubaneswar: Expressing concern over the rising fuel prices in the country, MLAs across party lines Tuesday engaged in a hot debate on the issue in the Assembly.
Participating in the debate on the admissibility of an adjournment motion over the issue, senior Congress leader Taraprasad Bahinipati said the BJP government at the centre is looting people as the petrol price has breached Rs 100 mark in Malkangiri district for the first time.
Even during Covid-19 pandemic, both the centre and the state government increased tax on petroleum products. The government needs to decrease the tax on fuel, said Bahinipati.
Another Congress member Santosh Singh Saluja too slammed the Centre and the state government for putting the price burden on common people. When NDA government was not in power, the present Prime Minister had assured to provide petrol and diesel at Rs 30 a litre when it comes to power. However, they are taking Rs 30 per litre from people, Saluja said.
Earlier, BJD members hit the streets whenever there was a marginal hike in the prices of petroleum products. But, now they became silent, the Congress MLA said.
Bishnu Charan Sethi, deputy leader of the BJP legislature party, said the Congress members have moved the adjournment motion on political intention. “I don’t know how much power is there with the state government to reduce the fuel price. Neither any officer nor any representative from the concerned ministry is present here,” Sethi said. He said the tax collected on fuel is utilised for welfare activities across the country including in Odisha.
The centre has provided 15,34,000 free gas connections in Odisha under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY).
“Let the state government reduce VAT on the petrol and diesel,” he demanded. Opposition chief whip Mohan Majhi said like other states, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should set an example by decreasing the Value Added Tax (VAT) on petroleum products.
However, Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari said the state government levies less tax than the central government does and is utilising the funds on welfare activities meant for people.
Notably, Petrol price touched an all-time high of Rs 100 per litre in Odisha while diesel rate crossed Rs 88-mark, Tuesday. General Secretary of Utkal Petroleum Dealers Association Sanjay Lath said fuel price has been increasing due to two reasons.
The central government has increased the tax while international oil producers have reduced oil production to gain profit.
At Kalimela in Malkangiri district, plain petrol rose to Rs 97.14 per litre while extra premium petrol cost Rs 100.29 per litre. Similarly, diesel cost Rs 93.86 per litre in the south Orissa town.
PNN