Mamata government to cut petrol, diesel prices by Re 1 per litre in West Bengal

A day after the Andhra Pradesh government decided to reduce petrol and diesel prices by Rs 2, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced that her government will slash the fuel prices by Re 1 per litre.

"For the time being, we have decided to reduce one rupee for each litre of petrol and diesel. We also demand that the central government consider cutting down the cess on diesel and petrol prices," Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat, urging the Centre to reduce the cess on fuel prices.

Also Read | Fuel prices touch record high, petrol crosses Rs 90 mark in Maharashtra, nears Rs 81 in Delhi

Banerjee slammed that the Centre for allegedly increasing the excise duty nine times, even when the global crude prices were falling.

"Our government has never increased the sales tax or cess during all these years’’, she said. 
On Sunday, Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje announced a 4% reduction in value-added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel, reducing fuel prices by ₹2.5 per litre in the state.

On Monday, the Congress-led as many as 21 opposition parties called a nationwide strike against the fuel price hike. On Tuesday, petrol was priced at Rs 80.87/litre and diesel at Rs 72.97/litre in Delhi, increasing by Rs 0.14/litre each. The petrol price crossed the Rs 90 mark in Parbhani, a small town in Maharashtra, which is reportedly the highest in India. Petrol is priced at Rs 90.02 in Parbhani due to highest transportation cost and local taxes.