Team Herald
PANJIM: With Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) feeling the pinch of cash crunch, it issued a letter on April 6 to all the 22 industrial estates in the State to inform them about the hike in lease rent and raw water charges without taking industry bodies into confidence.
After gathering and protesting against such order by Goa Industrial Development Corporation , the President of the Verna Industrial Association (VIA), Damodar Kochkar urged the GIDC to withdraw such move or else they would be bound to discuss on further course of action.
Addressing the press conference, Kochkar said, “They (Goa Industrial Development Corporation ) changed the rates without consulting anyone and the lease rates were fixed at Rs 8 up to 2000 square meters and then Rs 16 for the plot from 2001 to 5000 sq mts and from 5001 to 10,000 it was Rs 24 per sq mt and 10001 and above Rs 32 per sq mt. In many cases in the legal agreement the lease rent is fixed for 30 years or 99 years. You cannot change this unilaterally. This is an illegal thing to do. In Verna the percentage rise is about 2000 per cent. We will oppose this change.”
When asked why Goa Industrial Development Corporation may have done this, Kochkar said, “They only came and told us that their salary cost itself is Rs 25 crore. There was a time when GIDC was cash rich. Now the money is finished by their respective committees and they now expect us to pay for their inefficiency. Why cannot they do their work online?”
The other issue which plagues the industrial estates is water. Since last Dusserah (November 1, 2017) the raw water distribution plant was set up at Verna after several follow-ups and pleading. Verna industrial estate which has about 471 companies, require 10 MLD water per day.
“At the inauguration it was promised that our industrial estate will be getting raw water at the rate of Rs 10 per cubic meter (1000 cubic meter is equal to one MLD) and now suddenly GIDC sent us a notice that water will now be charged at the rate of Rs 25 per cubic meter from the date of installation or inauguration that is November 1. If you are in business and the March end is over, how can you ask us to pay ‘previous bills’ at revised rate? This is a blow to the industries,” said Kochkar.
Thoughts were also raised that why cannot industrial estate use bore-well water. However, they all showed concern as well that in case they use bore well water the water table will fall and the neighbouring wells in Verna will dry up.
