Jajpur: Around 55 government and private establishments are due to pay a whopping sum of Rs3,365.751 crore towards water cess by March end, a report said Wednesday.
Of it, Rs2,694.186 crore is lying outstanding on 32 private industrial firms, Rs454.043 on a joint venture of Centre and state and Rs217.522 crore on state government-owned establishments, the report added. Among the 55 defaulting units, cases regarding payment of Rs2,665.887 crore of 15 industrial firms are pending in several courts.
The matter came to fore after Jyotirmaya Rath, engineer-in-chief of Water Resources department in a letter (20090, dated-22.09.2020) asked the special secretary to take further action in this regard.
Observers alleged that the state government is losing in crores towards revenue because of showing undue favour to various industrial firms and public sector units. Among them, the state government-owned Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) is one of the beneficiaries of government largesse.
They also pointed out that while farmers, dependent on the water of Mahanadi, Brahmani, Baitarani rivers, for their cultivation are facing crop loss due to lack of water for irrigation, the state government is showering largesse on these firms for no exact reason.
Questions are being raised as to why IDCO and other industrial firms are backing off in depositing their water cess.
The state government showing generosity had waived of Rs 56.4 crore towards water cess. This time also a sum of Rs 10 crore has been proposed to be waived off on IDCO towards one time settlement of water cess.
However, to everyone’s surprise the state Water Resources department instead of making efforts towards collection of the outstanding money has adopted the route of one time settlement for collection of the arrears. The Water Resources department has proposed to waive off Rs2619.099 crore towards one time settlement of the arrears.
This apart, two industrial firms Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd at Lapanga in Sambalpur district and BRG Iron and Steel Company in Dhenkanal district have been exempted from the list of one time settlement of water cess as they have been pronounced insolvent.
Reports said that thousand cusecs of water are being drawn daily from various rivers and water bodies and being sold to various industrial firms. The state-owned IDCO has been selling water to various industrial firms in Kalinganagar Industrial Complex in this district for the last 21 years by drawing water from Brahmani river. IDCO is drawing water from the river after signing a contract with the Water Resources department.
As per the list prepared for one time settlement, IDCO, Kalinganagar has an outstanding of Rs24.233 crore, Shyam Metalics and Energy Ltd Rs 103.709 crore, Joda based Tata Steel Rs 159.758 crore, Tata BSL Ltd Rs 56.377 crore, Sree Mahavir Ferro Alloys, Jiabahal Rs 62.518 crore, Rathi Steel and Power Rs 78.184 crore, Odisha Power Consortium Ltd Rs 277.196 crore, Arati Steel Ltd Rs 80.915 crore and Ballarpur Industries Ltd has to pay Rs 444.169 crore.
Moreover, Orient Paper Mill Ltd owes Rs 216.120 crore, Tata Refractories Ltd, Belpahar and Adhunik Metalics Ltd Rs 56.631 crore, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd Rs 84.777 crore and Essar Steel Ltd Rs 8.353 crore towards water cess.
In Jajpur district alone, Tailangi Chromite mines owes Rs 0.720 crore, Saruabil Chromite Mines Rs 0.505 crore, Ramku Environment Engineer Ltd Rs 0.531 crore, Nilachal Ispat Nigam Ltd Rs 10.623 crore and Rohit Ferrotech Rs 0.311 crore.
When contacted, Santosh Balbantray, assistant executive engineer of Water Resources department at Jaraka, said he is yet to receive any communiqué from the state government for one time settlement and waving off of dues. He can “only speak after receiving a letter in this regard.”
PNN