West Bengal Left Front chairman Biman Bose said on Saturday that the decision regarding an increase in the fare of buses and taxis cannot be taken immediately.
Speaking after a meeting of the Left Front Committee, he said: “The outcome of the July 21 meeting of the Finance Ministers of all the States will have to be analysed carefully before taking any decision in this respect.”
Mr. Bose said that the reaction of other States on the issue of effecting an increase in the fare-structure of passenger vehicles on account of the recent hike in petrol and diesel would have to be checked out.
West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta, who is also the chairman of the empowered group of State Finance Ministers, told reporters at the Secretariat that the petro product price hike will be discussed at the July 21 meeting. He said that the empowered group had been kept in the dark regarding the price hike proposal. He said that a letter sent to the Union Petroleum Ministry by the Empowered Group after the price increase asking for a profit-loss account of the oil companies went unanswered.
Lowering of levies
To a question on whether West Bengal could lower the levies imposed by it on the price of petroleum goods, on the lines of the Delhi government, Dr. Dasgupta said that the levies in his State were lower than a “lot many States.” “You cannot compare Delhi with other States,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, syndicates of unions of owners of private buses which act as a sort of backbone of the States passenger transport system, have already held rounds of meeting with the State Transport Minister pressing their case for a hike but their efforts have not met with success so far. Unions said that they would meet to decide on their future course of action Buses and taxis have already gone off roads on two separate days demanding a hike.
