| Water supply of over 90 industrial units in Pandesara was disconnected by the Surat Municipal Corporation on Wednesday. The move followed non-payment of water dues to the tune of over Rs. 40 crore. |
| The industrialists have also accused Surat municipal commissioner G R Aloria of adopting a high-handed style of functioning. Speaking on condition of anonymity, an industrialist said: "SMC accused us of stealing water from its supply network over the last five years, and issued bills of Rs 47.30 crore to us in December last year. The bills were issued on the basis that we had agreed to pay for 65 per cent of the total water use." |
| "SMC has been supplying water to Pandesara industries since five years. All these years we have been paying bills as per the corporation's meter reading, which shows the quantity of water consumed by us. There was not even any mention of the 65 per cent thing in any of the bills, so why is SMC asking us to pay for something we have not consumed or have not committed to," the industrialist said. |
| "Aloria has been the municipal commissioner of Surat since over two years. Until December, we were issued bills only for the water that was consumed by us. But Aloria woke up after more than one year and asked us to pay water bills of Rs 47.30 crore. It only means that either Aloria is not properly informed or he is simply trying to harass us," another Pandesara industrialist said. |
| "After the so-called water theft was exposed, SMC dug up the entire Pandesara area to detect water pilferage. The corporation was unable to find a single irregularity or bogus water connection," he added. |
| An office bearer of Pandesara Green Environment & Water Welfare Co-operative Society, which represents the industries of Pandesara, said: "SMC has labelled industrialists as thieves. But this allegation is not supported by any proof or evidence. Whatever wrong has happened, it is from SMC's side, not ours." |
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