Lack of water hampered the growth of industries in Kutch

- Antenna- Vivek Mehta

- Water supply does not improve despite six-fold increase in industrial investment

Over 350 major industries and small industrial units in Kutch are facing severe water shortage. The Federation of Kutch Industries Association-Fokia has written a letter to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel demanding a brake on the increase in the rate of water supplied by the government to the industries. During the period when Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, 1000 liters of water was Rs. 15 were taken. Then in the year 2014, Chief Minister Anandibehan Patel called a meeting of industries of Koch and put a proposal to increase the water rate. At that time, it was planned to install a desalination plant. A proposal was made to give Narmada water at the same rate as the desalination plant. A kiloliter of water supplied from a desalination plant costs Rs. 45 to 50 were falling. This time it was argued that industries would be willing to take water from the desalination plant only if the rate of Narmada water is matched with the rate of water supplied through the desalination plant, said Nimish Phadke, managing director of Fokia.

After that, it was agreed to increase the rate of water by 10 percent every year. After the water rate of the desalination plant becomes the same as the supply rate of Narmada, it was also agreed to increase the rate of water per kiloliter of Narmada by three to three and a half percent every year. But even after Narmada's water rates have risen above the desalination rate, it has continued to rise by ten percent every year. Today the rate of one kiloliter of water is Rs. It has become 60. In the year 2018, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani also agreed with this sentiment of the industries. But it has not been implemented till date. In fact, its per kiloliter price cap is Rs. 50 should be done. Due to increase in water rates, water tariffs of textile processing industries have increased significantly due to higher water usage.

The burden on small businesses is also increasing. He demanded the return of the huge amount of cash taken as security deposit from the industries by different organizations serving the government, including Gujarat Water Infrastructure Limited. Instead, it has been suggested that bank guarantee should be taken from industries. As a result businesses will be able to use that money for business expansion.

Even if the Gujarat Water Infrastructure Limited fails to supply the quantity of water as per the demand, the water bill is being collected from the industries on the assumption that 80 percent of the quantity has been consumed. Even if they supply 50 percent against the demand, the bill is taken as 80 percent. Therefore, Kutch industries feel that the rule of minimum charge should be removed. Capital investment in Kutch during 2001 was Rs. 25000 crores. Now increased to Rs. 1.5 lakh crore has been done. New industrial clusters have emerged. There are clusters of bromine and salt industries in the north of Kutch. They are not given regular water supply. Second, there is also a cluster of sha pipes. Port-based industries have flourished around Mundra. Cement companies are growing. Along with new industries including mineral, marine chemicals, chemical, engineering, technical textiles, automobiles, coal based power plants, edible oil units-refineries, agro processing industries, sugar refineries, they should also create a new network for water supply. It's been twenty years. There has been no improvement.