A bill to levy water cess on the state’s power projects was introduced in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly. The government claims that this will not put any burden on the general public.
State’s Deputy Chief Minister and Jal Shakti Minister Mukesh Agnihotri introduced a bill regarding imposition of water cess on power projects in the House on the first day of the budget session of the Vidhansabha.
He said that the water flowing in the rivers and tributaries of the state could generate income.
This tax on electricity generation is imposed in other states as well. There is a lot of debt on the state, but the tax income is less. This step will generate an income of Rs 4,000 crore.
He has signed this bill brought by him at 2.08 in the night. This tax will be imposed on big projects and there will be no burden on the general public.
During the discussion on the bill, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said that this bill has been brought after studying the arrangements of Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir.
The government will also take steps on other sources of increasing income in the coming times. He said that apart from the chairman of the Bhakra Beas Management Board, NTPC and NHPC have also been discussed about the cess last Monday.
Compromise may also have to be made regarding this cess at many places. If this cess appears to be a burden on any project, then it will be considered. The state is estimated to earn about Rs 4,000 crore from this.