Industries oppose hike in water charges

SURAT: In 2010 July-August, a proposal to set up a tertiary water treatment plant to supply treated waste water to industries at the rate of Rs 18.20 per unit was rejected and the project shelved.
Now, the city is paying for it. The Pandesara Industries, which mainly comprise dyeing, printing and processing units are saying that the proposal to hike the civic water charges from Rs 16 per unit to Rs 26 per unit will ruin them.They say they will have to relocate outside Surat municipal corporation limits to survive.
The Pandesara Industrial Association gets 55 MLD of water whereas its requirement is nearly 75 MLD. Industries claim they get only 40 -45 MLD and have to buy the rest from the open market at Rs 18 to Rs 20 per unit. Of the 150 industrial units under Pandesara Industrial Association, 112 are Dying, Printing and processing houses.
A leader from the ruling BJP said, "We had promised in our manifesto to supply water to industries at a reasonable rate and we are going towards fulfilling it."
Kamal Tulsiyan, president of Pandesara Industrial Association, said, "We have appealed to the mayor, MLAs, MPs and all others who matter. We hope they consider our plea and don't impose the steep hike, wich is more than 50%. We are not against a reasonable increase but this is unaffordable."
Tulsiyan said this increase will push up the production cost by Rs 4 lakh to 5 lakh per month and many will have to leave the area. The Pandesara Green Environment and Water Welfare Co-op. Society Ltd also made a written presentation to all the concerned.
The neighbouring Sachin industrial area gets water at Rs 11 per kilolitre whereas industries at at Palsana and Kadodara get the water free from borewells. "To compete, we too we need water at a reasonable rate and in sufficient quantity," said Tulsiyan.