SHILLONG, Oct 26: Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister, James PK Sangma has admitted that it would be difficult for the state government to bring down the prices of fuel increasing with each passing day.
But he said Meghalaya has the lowest tax on petrol and diesel.
“We are trying to find ways and means for bringing down oil prices, but it seems a difficult task. Fuel prices have a direct bearing on the prices of commodities because transportation cost goes up,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
Sangma said transportation would have been cheaper had there been railway connectivity in Meghalaya. “Railways reduce the logistic cost to a great extent, and it would have been very helpful for our state if we had rail connectivity,” he added.
Reacting to the attack on the government by Congress over the increasing fuel prices, he said prices fluctuated many a time during the UPA regime.
“It is unfair to hold us responsible for the three-digit figure (petrol price). Congress needs to introspect and look at price rise over the past 10-15 years,” Sangma said.
He also feared that slashing the taxes would lead to a fall in revenue collection.
