To provide relief to the common people reeling under hike in fuel prices, the West Bengal Chief Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, has announced her government’s decision to withdraw the cess on LPG and thus save Rs 16 per cylinder for the consumers with immediate effect.

“I consulted my Finance Minister Amit Mitra after the midnight decision of the UPA Government to hike the prices of diesel, LPG and kerosene oil and decided to withdraw the cess collected by the State Government on each LPG cylinder to give relief to common people”, the Chief Minister told reporters here today.

She said that the State Government would not collect the cess of Rs 16 per LPG cylinder and this would effectively put the burden of hike at Rs 34 and not Rs 50 on the consumers.

“UPA Government raised the LPG cylinder price by Rs 50, but consumers in our state will bear Rs 34 by our government’s decision”, she said.

This, she said, would entail a loss of Rs 75 crore to the state exchequer “which we will mop up from other sources of income. But our government does not want to put more burden on the people’’.

“I think this will provide relief to the Ma, Mati and Manush”, she said adding that notification in this regard would be made on Monday.

Slamming the Centre, of which her party Trinamool Congress is the second largest ally, for the fuel price hike effected last midnight, Ms Mamata Banerjee said: “we would like to urge the Centre to reduce LPG price.’’

The Chief Minister said there had been steep increase in the prices of diesel, kerosene oil and LPG “which has hurt me very much. I am pained at such a decision by the Centre’’.

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