Punja Vansh, former MLA and the senior Congress leader has accused the BJP Government in Gujarat of unduly favouring Grasim Industries. The former chairman of the Public Accounts Committee in the Gujarat assembly has said that the Gujarat government has caused loss to the state exchequer by waiving Rs. 280 crores of dues from the Aditya Birla Group Company.
The company located at Veraval owes Rs.434.71 crore to the state for having used water from the Hiran-2 dam within the Gir-Somnath Irrigation Department’s jurisdiction between 1999 and November 2023. The demand for dues raised by the water resources department includes a Rs 280 crore penalty. Punja Vansh informed the media that the government has decided to waive the penalty.
The Opposition leader claimed that the government has flouted rules to benefit the firm at the cost of the state’s legitimate dues. “Is it a government-owned company to be shown leniency on such a massive scale?” the Congress leader wanted to know. The water bill includes water charges, penalties for non-payment, and interest on principal.
Punja Vansh accused the BJP government of indulging in corruption and said the largesse shown is uncalled for. Punja Vansh lost the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections from Una constituency. he has raised the issue that he had come across during his tenure at the Public Accounts Committee. The former MLA said the government failed to monitor the water usage of the company and alleged that the company constructed illegal wells over and above the permitted. He said the company was using more land than it was earmarked for them. Punja Vansh said the state revenue department did not bother to reply to a notice sent by him to know if the government can file land grabbing case against the company or not.
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