Patna, Feb. 9: Residents of Patna City took to the streets today in protest against the recurrent fuel surcharge and the proposal to hike holding taxes.
The protest, supported by political parties and business establishments, affected small-scale industrial units and commercial activities, causing a loss of at least Rs 100 crore.
The protesters demanded reprieve from the fuel surcharge, being imposed on all consumers since January 2009 by the Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB). They also blamed "cash-strapped" Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) for increasing the holding taxes load on property owners to fill up its coffers.
The civic body is contemplating to hike holding taxes by up to 25 per cent of annual rental value (ARV) of properties in the corporation area.
Apart from the residents, workers of the Congress, RJD, LJP, CPI-ML, traders and businessmen marched on the streets to vent their ire against the increasing burden of taxes and surcharge.
The roads and markets wore a deserted look as all the shop owners downed their shutters voluntarily. The protesters burnt tyres and put up bamboos blockade at several points in the city. They also tried to stop trains at the Patna Saheb junction for some time. Passengers, who alighted at the junction, had a difficult time finding autorickshaws or other public transport in the area.
Several commercial establishments, including wholesale markets like Maroofganj, Mansurganj, Mina Bazar and Rambagh, were also closed, affecting business transaction worth Rs 100 crore.
Sanjay Bhartiya, director, Dina Iron and Steel Company and chairman, energy sub-committee of Bihar Chamber of Commerce, said: "Fuel surcharge is imposed by the state electricity board in a non-transparent manner. This is being done to help the board hide its inefficiency. There should not be any provision to impose fuel surcharge, other than electri- city tariff."
Asked why Patna City was chosen for the protest, Bhartiya said: "The issue concerns everyone but Patna City has been chosen for the protest keeping in mind hundreds of small-scale industrial units, commercial establishments and wholesale markets which are badly affected because of the imposition of fuel surcharge and would be the worst victims of holding taxes hike."
Residents were not behind in expressing their displeasure. Abhay Kumar, schoolteacher and a resident of Jhauganj, said: "Fuel surcharge has adversely affected our budget. Earlier, the electricity bill used to be around Rs 400 to Rs 500 per month but now it has swelled to Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,300. The surcharge is being realised with retrospective effect. Many small industrial units have wound up their firms and shifted to Raipur and other places outside the state but where will we go?"
Vikesh Agrawal, a businessman at Machchahatta, said: "First, the electricity bill went up by three to four times because to imposition of fuel surcharge and now the civic body has proposed to increase holding tax by 25 per cent. These surcharges are making survival of middle class and medium business class even more difficult. We have decided to extend our whole-hearted support to the bandh."
Officials of the PMC and the BSEB, however, were not moved by today's protest. They defended their stand saying that their actions were justified and could not be rolled back.
"There is no question of withdrawing the proposal as holding tax has to be revised. It has not been revised for many years. The PMC has been charging holding tax from property owners on the old rate," PMC additional commissioner Chandrama Singh said.
BSEB spokesman and director of public relations, H.R. Pandey said: "It is our compulsion to impose fuel surcharge on consumers. Since the board is dependent on central sector allocation for power availability so it just passes on the surcharge imposed by NTPC to the consumers. We are trying our best to start our own power plant after which consumers would not have to foot the bill on the account of surcharge."
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