Haryana Beopar Mandal's no to Reliance Fresh stores

Fatehabad, May 24 (UNI) The Federation of Consumers Cooperatives Wholesale Stores Limited (CONFED) chairman Bajrang Dass Garg today said that the Haryana Pradesh Beopar Mandal would resist any move by Reliance Fresh to open its stores in Haryana.

Talking to media persons here today, Mr Garg, who is state president of the Beopar Mandal said that wherever Reliance Fresh had opened its stores for retail sales of fruits and vegetables, the business of vegetable venders had suffered badly.

He maintained that the Congress government would not compromise with the interest of traders and small shopkeepers.

He urged the Centre to provide Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand type excise benefits to industries in Haryana so that the state could attract investment.

He maintained that industry in Haryana did not enjoy level playfield with its counterparts in the hills states.

He said that in a highly competitive era of today, it was not possible for industry to survive in a state like Haryana when those in neighbouring Baddi, Kala Amb, Ponta Sahib and Dehradun were exempted from paying central excise and some other duties.

He emphasized the need for simplification of value added tax (VAT) and demanded that the VAT on commodities of daily use be reduced from 12.5 percent to 4 percent and that for food items be totally withdrawn.

UNI