H.K. Patil

BANGALORE: The increase in prices of petrol and diesel figured in the Legislative Council on Tuesday, with Leader of the Opposition H.K. Patil demanding that the Government reduce sales tax, which was the highest levied by any State.

Raising the matter in a discussion under special mention, Mr. Patil said crude oil prices had skyrocketed in the global market, and the Union Government had no option but to increase prices.

However, it had brought down customs duty by 25 per cent, and the State must ease the burden on the common man by reducing sales tax proportionately, he added.

Leader of the House and Higher Education Minister D.H. Shankaramurthy said the Centre could have brought down customs duty further and maintained diesel prices. The State Government had not levied any additional taxes.

The Government would consider the pros and cons of reducing sales tax and give a detailed reply in the House at the earliest opportunity, he added. Although plans to table a Bill that would empower the Government to "reclaim the excess 2,450 acres of land" acquired for the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor by the promoter Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise Ltd. (NICE) have been shelved for now, the issue figured in the Legislative Council.

During a discussion on whether Chairman V.R. Sudarshan should allow new MLC Y.S.V. Datta to raise the issue, Mr. Patil suggested that a project of the magnitude of BMIC should be discussed thoroughly and a White Paper published to present all facts about the project before the people.

Earlier, Mr. Patil spoke on the violence in Bangalore in the wake of the death of thespian Rajkumar, and demanded an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

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