Ludhiana, Jan 20 (KNN) The micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Ludhiana, who have been already crying about the high electricity bills, are now worried about the new notification by state government's water metering policy.
 
The Municipal Corporation has given a deadline till March to the industrialists - small, medium and large scale levels – for installing the water meters at their units, failing which they have to pay a penalty and their water sewerage connection would be disconnected after the warning period of three months.

Except industrial units, properties under other categories (residential, commercial including malls, private schools, hospitals etc) have been given a time period up to March 2017 and if they fail to install the meters, a similar action will be taken against them.

The small entrepreneurs in the city have condemned the move and said, “We were already paying such high electricity bills in which they charge Infrastructure Development Charge, then what is the need for a separate meter for water. Why should we pay another bill over and above this?,” Narindra Bhamara, President, Fastener Manufacturers Association of India told KNN.

Bhamara, an industrialist from Ludhiana, explained that his electricity bill for last month was around Rs 4.5 lakh, out of which Rs 19 thousand was just the IDF.

“The IDF is almost 5% of the bill which they started charging two months ago. The government is just finding different ways to harass the industry and take money out of it,” Bhamara pointed.

He said Punjab government gives free power to the agriculture sector, which consumes almost 80% of the power; hence it is not able to cope with the deficit and ends up putting pressure on the industry.

Bhamara said, “We talk, we meet them, we sit on dharnas, we protest, but of no use. There is nobody here to worry about the industry.”
 
According to a report, there are around 70,000 industrial units in the city and no water meter has been installed at any of the unit till date.
 
Till now there has been no difference in the user charges which were collected from the commercial establishments and industrials units, but after the implementation of the same there will be separate charges for both and charges will be collected according to the usage.
 
General Secretary of Ludhiana Foundry Clusters, Sanjay Viman, told KNN that till now they have not received any such notice from the authorities.
 
“We are already paying the water sewerage tax along with the electricity bill,” he said adding that, “Why should the industry pay more.”
 
It should be installed in the industries which have higher consumption of water,” he said. (KNN Bureau)