'Cannot do anything..': Nitish rules out relief on fuel prices

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that the state government is not in a position to give any relief to common people on fuel prices.

"There is no doubt that people are feeling the pinch due to the hike in fuel prices. (However) we do not have resources in the state government to give immediate relief to common people. It is a subject of the Centre. We cannot do anything in this matter... to reduce prices of fuel," he said in an interaction with media persons after Janata Darbar on Monday.

"We had given relief a few months ago. Suddenly, the fuel prices increase across the country. Now, it is not possible to reduce prices at the state level again," he said.

The Bihar government had reduced state VAT during the run-up to Uttar Pradesh Assembly election when Centre had reduced VAT of petrol and diesel and also asked states to reduce state VATs as well.

"There are several projects currently underway in the state and a big amount involved in it. We are already having a lack of resources in the state," Nitish Kumar said.

"The pandemic had deeply hurt the financial earning of the state. We are in the process of recovery in the last one year," he said.

On the pollution of Ganga, Nitish Kumar said that when was a child, he used to go to the river for a bath.

"We not only took a bath in the Ganga river but also take water for drinking. Nowadays, the water of Ganga is not consumable. Hence, a large number of people are using ground water which is a wrong practice and its consequences may appear in future. Hence, we are making efforts to purify water from the Ganga river and supply it to every household for drinking," he said.

"We are currently supplying water from Ganga at some places and I am trying to start the big project from Patna and expand it to other districts like Gaya, Biharsharif, Nawada etc," he said.

--IANS

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