To

The Honorable, Finance Minster

SHRI PRANAB MUKHERJEE,

13, Talkatora Road,

New Delhi - 110 001

During the current budget revision, The customs duty on Imported Bicycles and Bicycle parts has raised from 10% to 30% ostensibly to help the local bicycle manufacturing companies.

The availability of quality bicycles at affordable prices has done a lot to improve the strength of the community in India. The lack of good bicycles would potentially deter new buyers of cycles who eventually end of either minimising the use of a car or avoiding it altogether.

Our cities are growing , and most of our cities are crowded and congested. When the Government should be doing all it can to encourage cycling, and along with it, creating more liveable cities and healthier local communities, the Government has taken a pretty regressive short sighted step. A lot of businesses have started recently , in Bangalore as well as the rest of India , catering to and increasing the population of cyclists on the road.

We should also keep in mind that more cycles on the road would mean less petrol and diesel driven personal vehicles, which not only add to the subsidy bill, but also to the congestion on the roads, and affect the health of the average citizen. In reality the increased duty won't help the local manufacturers who unfortunately don't manufacture quality cycles, but postpone or prevent the buying decisions of people who wish to ride quality cycles. The Cycling community in India has seen first hand how the availability of good bicycles have encouraged people to move from Cars to Bicycles.

Within a year's time their were almost 4 hikes on fuel prices making everything further expensive, Bicycles r only the way if one need to think of coming out of these hikes & our Government should be thinking of supporting the cause strongly for the sake of Environment & for the people..

We need the Government to Roll back & Bring down the Custom duty on imported cycles, parts from 30% to 0% & encourage Quality bicycles that meansconverting more people towards Going Green..

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