New water policy for Pandesara hangs in balance

The fate of the Surat Municipal Corporation's (SMC) new water policy for industries in Pandesara continues to be uncertain with the state government asking the corporation to effect certain changes in it.

The ruling BJP party at SMC had proposed a reduction in the price at which the corporation supplies water to Pandesara industries from Rs 25 to Rs 16 per kilo litre.

The proposal was approved by the SMC standing committee, and the general board, but the then municipal commissioner G R Aloria, raised certain objections, and took the matter to the court.

The SMC received a letter from the urban development ministry on Thursday, in which the ministry has supported the objections raised by Aloria. The ministry stated that the formula used to determine the minimum water prices is not correct.

"The minimum price of water has been fixed at Rs 16 per kilo litre by calculating the water velocity or pressure at 0.6. Normally, the standard water velocity is calculated as 0.73, which comes to 0.69 after considering the hydraulic parameters and friction losses," the letter stated.

The ministry has asked the SMC to determine the minimum water prices by calculating the water velocity of 0.69 as the factor, instead of 0.60 in the water policy.

According to experts, even this change in the policy would lead to an additional annual income of over Rs 4 crore for the SMC.

The current municipal commissioner of SMC, Pankaj Joshi, told media persons that the directions of the state government would be followed.

BJP rulers had almost succeeded in their efforts to reduce the water prices, but the objection raised by the ministry has placed them in a quandary. They are not in a position to counter or protest the ministry's directions, and because of the letter, they cannot face the industrialists.

The rulers are holding discussions to find a way to keep the state government as well as the industrialists happy.

The industrialists of Pandesara are not amused by the letter, as it means further delay in the implementation of the policy, and that they would have to pay more for water.

"The state government has raised objection to the fact that the water velocity was considered as 0.6 in the policy, instead of 0.69. The same water pressure cannot be maintained for long if there are several connections. This is a technical issue, which was decided by the SMC," an industrialist of Pandesara said, requesting anonymity.

"SMC is an independent body. The corporation is authorised to decide at what price it wants to sell water to. The state government has no right to intervene in the issue. The state government is not doing any good for the SMC or the industries, by needlessly raising the issue of water velocity," he said.