Patna, Dec. 31: Bihar State Electricity Board’s decision to implement fuel surcharge of 69 paise with effect from October 2008 to September 2009 has dampened the New Year mood of the people.

The government has announced the hike to raise around Rs 360 crore revenue.

The surcharge has come as a shocker for people from trade and industry. They were expecting the much-needed relief from the NDA-II government led by chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Now all prominent industry bodies of the state have sought either the withdrawal of the surcharge or want the government to foot the additional financial burden in the form of subsidy to protect the sagging morale of the old and new entrepreneurs of the state.

The Bihar Chamber of commerce has sought the withdrawal of fuel surcharge imposed by the state electricity board with retrospective effect from January 2009 to September 2009, forcing the industries to stop their operations.

Chamber president O. P. Sah told The Telegraph: “Fuel surcharge is a crucial issue for the survival of industries and hence it is our demand that the state government should withdraw the fuel surcharge.”

He said: “There is no need of imposing a fuel surcharge that too from retrospective effect, particularly when Bihar electricity regulatory commission has, recently, increased the electricity tariff rate by five paise after hearing the board’s plea to hike around 20 per cent of tariff rate.”

Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) Bihar state council president Satyajit Singh said: “The industry department should protect the industries by footing the bill on account of traders and industrialists.”

“We will talk to the state government not to burden the entrepreneurs. On one hand the government is talking to promote trade and industries and on the other the price hike shows the negative attitude of the government for the entrepreneurs, which may hamper the industrial investment in the state,” he added.

According to Singh, industries would suffer heavily and will be forced to close down if they are made to pay the surcharge from retrospective effect. The CII president said that the board should try to realise the arrears and dues from defaulters instead of putting extra burden on those who are paying on time.

Bihar Industries Association vice-president Subhash Kumar Patwari said: “We met the industry and energy minister with our grievance and he assured us that he would look in to the matter.”

“We also want to meet chief minister and deputy chief minister to apprise them with our genuine concerns,” Patwari added.

The surcharge has been imposed on to the customers from retrospective effect as NTPC has hiked the rate due to the increase in the price of coal.