Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday described as unjust the latest hike in diesel prices as she slammed the Centre with having failed to take steps to control skyrocketing prices and "scams in all departments." This was the fourth time oil companies have effected hike since January 2013 and the measure aimed at mobilising revenue for government would severely affect the poor people, she said in a statement in Chennai.
"It is unjust for the oil companies to have hiked the prices despite decline in international crude rates," she said, adding, the price of petrol was however in line with international trends. It was "unacceptable" that diesel prices were being hiked every month as a policy decision despite crude prices getting cheaper, she said while strongly condemning Friday's hike of more than Re one. The move would result in increase in rail tariff besides those of private transport and freight charges which could further propel the prices of essential commodities upwards, she said.
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01:48 AM, May 11, 2013
Justifying the hike in charges on various counts announced recently, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Wednesday hinted at further increase in surcharge on bookings and cancellations for balanced development of the country's largest transporter which has "limited resources". ...
06:20 PM, Mar 13, 2013
The proposed increase in coal freight rate by 5.7 per cent in the Railway Budget 2013-14 will have no effect on the coal sector but may lead to a marginal increase in the electricity tariffs. Railways Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal sought to increase the freight rate on coal from Rs 685.10 per tonne, to Rs 724.80 - a hike of 5.79 per cent. ...
04:25 PM, Feb 26, 2013
Railways on Tuesday hiked freight rates for moving diesel and cooking fuels by almost 8 per cent, a move that may result in marginal hike in retail fuel prices. ...
03:17 PM, Feb 26, 2013
The state and the taxpayer are losing crores of railway revenue to freight evasion even though CNN-IBN had first reported on the freight evasion scam in September 2011. CNN-IBN has now accessed seven demand notices sent to companies in West Bengal, including the Rashmi group, which was accused of evading freight rates to the tune of Rs 660 crore. ...
06:13 PM, Feb 06, 2013
New Delhi: Train fares of all AC classes will become costlier by more than 3 per cent from Monday. The new service tax of 3.708 per cent, as per the government notification, will be levied on AC First Class, Executive Class, AC-2 tier, AC-3 tier, AC Chair Car and freight. Passengers travelling in AC-2 and AC-1 will be additionally burdened by the service tax as the fares of these classes...
04:26 AM, Oct 01, 2012
New Delhi: All AC train fares, freight tariff and cost of food at railway stations will go up from October 1 with the coming into force of service tax on them. This follows a decision taken at a meeting between Railway Minister CP Joshi and Finance Minister P Chidambaram. Fares of AC First Class, Executive Class, AC-2 tier, AC-3 tier, AC Chair Car will go up by 3.708 per cent...
04:49 PM, Sep 27, 2012
New Delhi: Railways have no plans as yet to increase freight charges despite the steep hike in diesel prices which have put an additional burden of over Rs 1200 crores on it. "There is no move as yet to increase freight charges even if it (diesel price hike) hits us hard," said a senior Railway Ministry official. Railways consume about 250 crore litres of diesel per annum to run its...
03:49 PM, Sep 14, 2012
New Delhi: The politically tough decision of hiking diesel price and limiting the usage of LPG to just six cylinders in a year on subsidised rate has led to nation-wide protests with the UPA constituents as well as the Opposition parties taking to the streets, demanding an immediate rollback. Massive protests are taking place in Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Karnal, Kanpur, Allahabad, Agra, Ludhiana and several other cities over the government's...
01:30 PM, Sep 14, 2012
New Delhi: Get ready to pay even more. The new 12 per cent additional Service Tax comes into effect from Sunday. The new tax covers all services except 38 activities that are put on the negative list. The switch-over to a negative list is aimed at unifying the tax and levies of the Centre and the States, but is also expected to increase the Centre's Service Tax collection up from...
08:52 AM, Jul 01, 2012
New Delhi: Close on the heels of railways increasing parcel rates by 25 per cent, the freight charges will go up by about 3.6 per cent from July 1 with imposition of service tax. "The government had given service tax exemption on goods carried by railways till June 30, 2012. From July 1 using railways to transport goods will come under service tax net," Central Board of Excise and Customs...
04:22 AM, Jun 08, 2012
New Delhi: Indian Railways will award contract for construction of about 1,000 route km on eastern and western dedicated freight corridors (DFCs) in the next fiscal, Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi said on Wednesday. "It is expected that the contract for civil and track works for about 1,000 route kilometres on Eastern and Western DFCs would be awarded during 2012-13," Trivedi said while presenting the Railway Budget for 2012-13. The Railways...
04:54 AM, Mar 15, 2012
New Delhi: It has been almost a decade since Railway passenger fares were increased and its finances are in the red. The Indian Railways is the country's 24*7 lifeline, registering 23 million passengers and up to 2.65 million tonnes of freight traffic per day. With the Railway finances going from bad to worse, a question often asked is what is the prime reason behind it. Why are the Railways sinking?...
11:51 AM, Mar 14, 2012
Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday wrote another letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, protesting 20 per cent hike in rail freight rates. In the last two weeks, Modi has written four letters to the PM, opposing various central policies/decisions. In today's letter, Modi said that the decision to increase railway fright rate, which the Centre took by "bypassing the Parliament", should be withdrawn. "When the Parliament is...
08:11 PM, Mar 07, 2012
New Delhi: Railways on Tuesday withdrew four per cent exemption on fertiliser and foodgrain loading rates besides making a 10-15 per cent upward revision of other commodities ahead of Rail Budget. In 2010, Railways has increased freight rate by four per cent on some key commodities such as sugar and some petroleum products to meet rising fuel cost and higher wages. However, foodgrains and fertilisers were exempted from the increase...
07:09 AM, Mar 07, 2012
The harried iron ore industry, which has been hit by Supreme Court clampdown following rampant illegal mining, hopes to get some respite in the form of duty rationalisation in exports along with freight charges in the upcoming Budget, industry players have said. "We hope the government will reduce export levy on iron ore fines to push exports. Also, some kind of duty rationalisation should be done in rail freight charges...
02:31 PM, Mar 05, 2012
Mumbai: Suspected Somali pirates on Tuesday hijacked an Italian cargo vessel with 18 crew, including seven Indian seafarers, off the coast of Oman. The Italy-flagged MT Enrico Ievoli with 15000 mt of caustic soda on board was hijacked at 0403 hours GMT (0933 IST) by the pirates, a statement issued late on Tuesday evening by the Directorate General of Shipping said. The 138-metre long vessel, which was on a voyage...
12:33 AM, Dec 28, 2011
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said no increase in freight rates and passenger fares in the Railway Budget would reduce inflation. "It is a common man's budget without increase in freight and passenger fares, thereby it will help to weaken cost push element of inflation," Singh told reporters soon after Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee presented her third budget in the Lok Sabha. At the same time, Banerjee...
02:58 PM, Feb 25, 2011
Mamata Banerjee is also expected to not increase passenger fare ahead of assembly elections in West Benagal. ...
09:45 AM, Feb 25, 2011
New Delhi: The Managing Director of the Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd is under the scanner for major corruption charges. The dedicated freight corridors are and ambitious project dedicated to increase the revenues of the Indian Railways by fulfilling the ever-growing transport needs of the country. But VK Kaul, a bureaucrat handpicked by former railway minister Lalu Prasad, is now under corruption charges. The Central Vigilance Commission has found...
08:21 AM, Jul 31, 2010
