The Congress on Thursday demanded immediate reversal of the anti-people decision of effecting a steep hike in the stamp fee for the registration of houses and land deeds in Haryana.
Senior Congress leader and communications in-charge of the party, Randeep Singh Surjewala said the Manohar Lal Khattar Government in Haryana has been looting the common people by making exorbitant increase in the stamp duty and by effecting a hefty increase in the fee for registration of title deed of land.
The decision to hike the stamp fee was taken at a cabinet meeting held this week.
Launching a scathing attack, Surjewala said that during the past 4 years of its rule, the Khattar Government has failed to lay even a single brick of development in the state, whereas, it has left no stone unturned to loot the common people of the state in lieu of imposing tax hikes. The people are reeling under the onslaught of ever increasing prices, but the Haryana Government has only aggravated their sufferings by imposing new service charges day in and day out, he added.
Surjewala questioned the state Government as to where the huge amount of revenue of Rs 26,300 crores collected by the state Government during the past 4 years by imposing VAT and GST on petro products has disappeared while the burden of debt on the state Government has been constantly rising, and no development is visible in the state.
The schemes launched during the Congress Government are lying stuck, no big project has been started and no perceptible infrastructure has been raised, he added.
The Congress leader said that in the year 2013-14, the state of Haryana had a debt of Rs 60,300 crores which has increased to the mind boggling level of Rs 1,61,594 crores in the year 2018-19, which means a daily increase in the debt of Rs 74.31 crores, Rs 3.09 crores every hour and Rs 5 lakh every minute.
Surjewala further said that the people of the state are already suffering due to the unprecedented rise in the prices of petrol and diesel. The prices of diesel in the state are at the ever highest level. The State Government took no steps to contain the prices of petrol and diesel, rather increased VAT on diesel from 9.24% to 17.22% and petrol from 21% to 26%, he alleged.
Surjewala demanded that the State Government should immediately withdraw the increase in registration fee for the land otherwise it should be prepared to face the wrath of people during upcoming elections.