By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: The Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Thursday urged the state government to immediately suspend the cess imposed on petrol and diesel, citing rising fuel prices and the growing financial burden on consumers.
Addressing a press conference in Aizawl, MPCC treasurer Lalmalsawma Nghaka said the continued increase in global fuel prices due to tensions in West Asia had adversely affected people across the country, including Mizoram.
He said repeated hikes in petrol and diesel prices in recent months, coupled with rising LPG cylinder prices, had added to the financial strain on the public and triggered protests in several parts of the country.
According to Nghaka, the impact has been particularly severe in Mizoram, where transport operators and businesses dependent on vehicles are facing mounting operational costs.
The Congress leader claimed that the Mizoram government had collected more than Rs 143 crore through cess on petroleum products till April this year.
He alleged that previous governments had never imposed such high cess collections and described the present level of fuel taxation as unprecedented in the state.
Nghaka further claimed that the cess burden had made Mizoram the costliest state in the Northeast in terms of fuel prices.
“At a time when fuel prices are rising globally, the government should show concern for the people of Mizoram by temporarily suspending the cess on petrol and diesel,” he said.
He maintained that reducing the cess would provide much-needed relief to people already struggling with inflation and rising living costs.