BHADRAK:The Salandi Irrigation Division here on Thursday asked the officials of Dhamra Port Company Limited (DPCL) to deposit Rs 44 lakh as penalty for illegally utilising ground water in the port area.
Sources said the DPCL has been utilising ground water without taking permission from the Water Resources department since 2013. The company has dug up borewells and has been illegally lifting 3,381 litres ground water per month. Even the company has not paid the water tax for the last two years. The engineers of Salandi Irrigation Division had conducted a raid on January 16 and sought an explanation from the company. But the DPCL did not respond, said Executive Engineer of the division Chinmaya Mohanty. Despite repeated efforts, HR of DPCL did not respond to the call.