‘Cap water rates, start supply infra’

Rajkot: The Federation of Kutch Industries Association (FOKIA) has urged the state government to cap the water rates at Rs 50 per kilo litre (KL) and the escalation at 3% every year while also seeking urgent augmentation of water supply infrastructure for the new industries coming up in the district.
In a representation to CM Bhupendra Patel, the apex body of Kutch industries, stated that the water rate has reached nearly Rs 60 per KL, as desired by the formula adopted in 2014 when trade and industry bodies agreed to the government proposal of hiking water rate by 10% every year till it reaches the rate of desalinated water.
It also requested the government to set up a water regulatory commission on the lines of Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) to provide a level-playing field to stakeholders like wastewater treatment plants, desalination plants etc. “This will also give the industry an opportunity to represent their water supply and tariff-related issues to the body for adjudication,” the representation stated.
Regarding Narmada water supply, FOKIA said that hardly one-third of the sanctioned 90MLD (million liters per day) from the Narmada pipeline is being supplied to industries and there is an urgent need to augment this infrastructure. The representation states that industries are now being set up on Bhachau-Bhuj Road with an investment of nearly Rs 5,000 crore. “FOKIA suggested that the excess water from Tappar Dam should be given to these industries and also create a pipeline from Tappar Dam to Bhachau-Bhuj and Bhuj-Khavda routes where the industrial water requirement is 30MLD,” it stated.