Post News Network
Cuttack, April 9: A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in Orissa High Court challenging the inability of the state government to recover water dues from companies.
The petition, filed by rights activist Pradip Pradhan, alleges that the state government has not been able to recover water bills amounting to more than `6,000 crore. The petitioner has said the water tax dues should be recovered with 18 per cent interest within a stipulated period and that action should be taken against errant officials for their negligence.
The petitioner has also sought restriction on the use of water by industries across the state. Orissa is gifted with abundant groundwater. However, activities such as mining have led to the depletion of the groundwater level and this will have an adverse impact if not looked into, said the petition.
The state water resources department has failed to come up with an action plan to ensure judicious use of water across the state, it said. “The state government has its own water policy, which was formulated 1994, but this has not been implemented earnestly,” the petition stated.
Pradhan has alleged that industries have been misusing water without considering the impact it would have on the groundwater level. About 100 companies have not paid their water bills for the last 15 years.
