Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Oct 15: Former state Chief Minister and state president of Janatadal (S), H D Kumaraswami, has warned the state government, that levying of cess on petrol and diesel will be counter-productive, as it will have indirect influence on the poor and middle class citizens.

Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday October 14, he noted that the rates of taxes in the state are already high, and any additional burden will hurt the people. If the petrol and diesel prices rise, the prices of all the commodities will go up. The poor people, already facing untold miseries because of escalating prices of essentials, will find it hard to live, he felt.

Kumaraswami expressed the opinion that levying of taxes on iron transporters is welcome, as he felt that the ore transporters have been plundering the natural wealth of the state and levying of taxes on them is welcome and justified. At the same time, he suggested that the trucks carrying sand should not be brought under the purview of the proposed tax.

In the meantime, the Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owners and Agents Association came up strongly against the move of the government to pass on some kind of levy on them for mopping up funds for flood relief. Federation president G R Shanmukhappa said that the truckers will commence their strike the day any taxes or levies including toll charges are forced upon them. He said that the truckers have already done their bit by contributing to flood relief fund.

The proposal of the Chief Minister to increase the working hours of the government employees by two hours i.e., by stretching their time from 9 am to 6.30 pm, has also faced resistance. 

The employees organizations, while agreeing that the request of the government made to the employees posted at the flood-hit areas to put in extra hours is reasonable, has questioned the  propriety of extending the same to other parts of the state. While the government wants to make the employees work for extra hours for a year through a circular, the employees union president L Bhyrappa has termed the same as unscientific. "How will the extra work put in by the employees in other parts of the state benefit the flood relief operations?" he questioned. All India Government Employees Union president U D Narasimhaiah too reflected similar sentiment, terming the government’s decision as a unilateral, which can spell trouble mainly for the women employees. "The government should have at least shown the courtesy of consulting the employees unions," he felt.