MARGAO: Alleging that the BJP government is least bothered about the pending green cess amount of Rs 230.35 crore from 29 companies handling and transporting coal by road from Goa, Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao demanded that the Transport Minister should clarify when this huge amount will be collected.
Alemao informed that the companies from which amount to be collected include Adani Enterprise, J S Energy, Vedanta and others.
Reacting to the recent order passed by the Bombay High Court at Goa on Constitutional Validity of Goa’s Green Cess Act, Alemao said he welcomed the High Court order.
“I hope that the judgment will open the eyes of the BJP government which has failed to recover pending dues from the coal handlers and transporters,” he said.
Alemao stated that he has information based on the replies given to his Legislative Assembly Questions which reveal that government has not collected revenue from 2014 onwards towards Goa Rural Improvement and Welfare Cess Act, 2000 from the companies handling and transporting coal in Goa.
“I had raised the issue in the last session of the Goa Legislative Assembly. Although the Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho tried to attribute non-collection of revenue to the matter pending in the High Court, the documents provided to me exposed the fact that there is no stay from the court on collection of the revenue,” he claimed.
Alemao has been provided with a few pages of documents pertaining to the court notice, replies and affidavits filed by the Government, etc.
“Surprisingly the copy of the writ petition provided to me under annexure D is without the writ petition number. It has also come to light that only five out of 29 companies have approached the court disputing the collection of cess by the government. This shows that the government is lenient towards the big companies,” said Alemao.
He further said that it is sad that the government acts swiftly against the poor people for defaulting on payment of electricity and water bills. The same government just keeps quiet on crores of revenue receivable from the crony capitalists. This exposes the anti-poor agenda of the BJP government.