BHUBANESWAR : The state government has exempted electricity dues amounting to Rs 4,097.67 crore for 14 industries under various schemes during the last 10 years.
This was informed by deputy chief minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo in the Assembly on Wednesday.
In a reply to a query from Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati, Singh Deo who is also the minister for Energy said the electricity duty for these 14 industries was exempted since the financial year 2015-16 under schemes such as the Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR) and the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Policy.
The state government has exempted the highest electricity dues of Rs 3,599.88 crore for Vedanta Ltd, Jharsuguda, under the SEZ Policy-2015, while Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), Paradip, received an exemption of Rs 314.03 crore. The Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) was granted a waiver of Rs 103.16 crore in electricity duty for its Angul plant.
The deputy CM further informed that rebate on interest for pending bills amounting to Rs 1,324.83 crore for 36 industries have been extended under the one-time settlement scheme, 2022 of the Energy department.
Under this scheme, the government waived off dues of Rs 550.12 crore for Rourkela Steel Plant, Rs 440.12 crore for IMFA Ltd, Choudwar and Rs 203.91 crore for National Aluminium Company (Nalco), he added.
Other industries which enjoyed power bills exemption include JSPL, Angul (Rs 35.76 crore), Aditya Aluminium Ltd, Sambalpur (Rs 17.79 crore), Tata Steel, Kalinganagar (Rs 16 crore), and Vedanta Ltd, Lanjigarh (Rs 10.13 crore).
Data provided by the principal chief electrical inspector said that power dues worth Rs 1,096.32 crore were pending against 23 industries as on October this year, Singh Deo said.
The highest unpaid bill of Rs 285.02 crore is pending against Jindal India Thermal Power Ltd, Talcher followed by Rs 246 crore against Visa Steel, Jajpur.
He said GMR Kamalanga Energy in Dhenkanal district has not paid power bill amounting Rs 179.35 crore, Maithan Ispat Nigam Ltd, Jajpur Rs 85.31 crore, and Shyam Metalics & Energy Ltd, Sambalpur Rs 83.25 crore.
The defaulters are Oswal Chemicals and Fertilisers Ltd, Paradip (Rs 79.95 crore), AM/NS, Paradip (Rs 56 crore), Bhaskar Steel & Ferro Alloys, Sundargarh (Rs 23.67 crore), and Yazdani Steel & Power Ltd, Jajpur (Rs 13.68 crore).