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Chhattisgarh government has identified as many as 69 units in the industrial hub of the state, in Raigarh, which are using water illegally.
“The notice have been served on the industries using water without valid permission,” Chhattisgarh’s Water Resources Minister Brijmohan Agrawal said. The department had asked the industries to enter into an agreement and draw water, he said, adding that the violation could lead to strict action, including cutting water supply to the units.
The minister said the officials of the water resources department had been conducting regular inspection to ensure that the industries were not violating the norms. He added that during such inspections, the team identified that 69 industrial units had been drawing water for industrial use in Raigarh — that has been emerging as industrial hub of the state.
Raigarh district has been endowed with major minerals that include coal, quartzite, limestone and dolomite. Following which, many mineral-based industries had come up in the district. There are 35 large-scale industries and 8 medium-scale enterprises existing in the district besides a large number of medium, small and micro enterprises. The department had been supplying water to the industries from the Kelo major irrigation project.
Agrawal said that in the last two years, the department had recovered Rs 21.24 crore from the industries using water without agreement. He added that 22 industries in the district had not paid the dues and the process was on to recover the amount.
