Vedanta disputes Rs 233cr water dues; govt stands firm

Jharsuguda: Vedanta Aluminium on Saturday contested the Odisha govt’s Rs 233 crore demand notice over alleged illegal drawing of water from Bheden river, calling it based on “incorrect assumptions” and not reflective of the factual or regulatory position.The state had issued the notice, citing dues and penalty for purportedly extracting water illegally from the Bheden river system.In a statement, the company said it operates under valid agreements with the department of water resources allowing a total drawal of 112.9 cusecs. It claimed its actual drawal from the Hirakud reservoir is about 80 cusecs — within sanctioned limits — and that all applicable charges are being regularly paid.“We wish to place on record that the said penalty is based on incorrect assumptions,” Vedanta said, asserting full compliance with regulations.Govt sources, however, maintained that the demand was raised after due assessment. A senior official said the notice followed “proper evaluation and calculation of dues as per prescribed procedures.”