The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Compounding system to settle Excise cases

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 14, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Compounding system to settle Excise cases

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The Government proposes to introduce a compounding system to settle Excise cases to tackle the huge pendency, Finance Minister Vakkom Purushothaman told the Assembly on Monday.

Replying to questions, he said the matter was referred to the Law Department, which had pointed out some hitches that could be overcome. The Ministers had been issued strict instructions not to issue stay orders in revenue recovery cases without the consent of the Chief Minister and Finance Minister.

The State's financial condition was good and even the Planning Commission had recognised this fact, Mr. Purushothaman said. There was no bar on appointments, even though 92 per cent of the revenue income went towards paying salaries and pension. The Government was forced to borrow even Plan funds and there was an urgent need to cut revenue deficit. In a written reply, he stated that the arrears in sales tax collection till April 2005, came to Rs.2,777.23 crores.

Water Resources Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said the work on the Kollam-Kottapuram National Waterway-III had been started. The removal of Chinese nets, construction of terminals and expansion of the Connolly Canal were going on.

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