Maharashtra plans cess on petrol, diesel

The Maharashtra government is seriously considering a proposal to recover 3 per cent cess on diesel and 1 per cent on petrol in order to raise funds for IRDP projects being implemented in major cities and township of the state.

Minister of state for urban development Rajesh Tope disclosed this in the upper house of the state legislature while replying to a calling attention motion moved by BJP members Shrikant Joshi, Nitin Gadkari, Vinod Tawde and Sagar Meghe over stalled civic projects and works in Aurangabad.

The provision to charge cess in those cities which are hosting IRDP projects is already incorporated in the original GR for IRDP.

Leader of the Opposition in the legislative council Nitin Gadkari lamented that no public representative was extending any support for these projects from legislators' or MPs' funds.

Tope agreed that IRDP works at Amravati, Aurangabad and Nagpur were stalled as MLAs had not forwarded their promised contribution towards the projects.

He also accepted the fact that MSRDC was unable to raise funds on its own and needed the contribution of local legislators, parliamentarians and local self-government bodies for implementing civic projects.

He said that the cess was being recovered in Mumbai against the development of roads and bridges and on the same lines the decision will be implemented in other municipal areas.