PATNA:Deputy cheif Minister Sushil Modi said that the Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) has been approached to revise its rules and synchronize with the holding tax, meaning, thereby, that if the defaulters of holding tax failed to clear their mounting dues, then their electricity connections could also be withdrawn. Besides, unless the building owners showed their record regarding updated payment of holding tax, they would not get the electricity connection.
Modi, who was talking to mediapersons after listening to the grievances of his party workers at the state BJP headquarters on Thursday, said that CM Nitish Kumar has already written to the Centre saying that unless the Centre paid additional six per cent of total money given to the MPs from the state under the MP Local Area Development ( LAD) fund, the state government’s administrative machinery would not be able to implement schemes taken up for implementation with the MPLAD fund.
The Union Cabinet on Thursday increased the money allotted to the MPs from the earlier Rs 2 crore annually to Rs 5 crore. Bihar has 40 Lok Sabha MPs and 15 Rajya Sabha members. Obviously, as much as Rs 275 crore would be coming to the state annually under the MPLAD fund. If the Centre complies with the demand of Nitish regarding six per cent of additional payment to implement the schemes taken up, then it would have to pay additional Rs 16.5 crore to the state government. As the Nitish government has made its stand open, the ball now is in the Centre’s court.
Modi also said that the civil supplies and consumer protection department would take action against private firms which sell LPG cylinders without a proper licence to do so. Similarly, the labour resources department has been alerted to take action against firms and companies deemed to be fleecing youths in the name of giving them employment, he added.