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EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
SHIMLA, July 17: The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has convened meeting of all the chief ministers of hydro power generating states on August 5 to take a final decision on levying of the water cess and proposed amendments in the Water (prevention and control of pollution) Cess Act 1977.
SHIMLA, July 17: The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has convened meeting of all the chief ministers of hydro power generating states on August 5 to take a final decision on levying of the water cess and proposed amendments in the Water (prevention and control of pollution) Cess Act 1977.
This was a direct outcome of meeting of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal with Union Environment and Forests Minister Suresh Prabhu. Dhumal held an hour long meeting with the Minister discussing the adverse impacts of the proposed deletion of the hydro power projects from the purview of the Water Cess Act.
The existing law allows levying of water cess at a rate of four paisa per kilolitre enabling Himachal Pradesh to generate an annual income of Rs 360 crore. The implementation of the Act, however, had been stayed by the Union Ministry as it proposed amendments in the law.
Reports received from New Delhi said the Union Environment Minister had agreed to defer the introduction of the bill envisaging deletion of the hydro power projects from the industries to be covered under the purview of the water cess.
``Minister's response was not only positive but realistic,'' Dhumal told the ENS over phone. He said that since other hydro power generating states like Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka were also supporting Himachal Pradesh stand, some mutually acceptable solution would be found on August 5 next. He appreciated Union Minister for giving a patient hearing to Himachal.
In his meeting Dhumal told the Minister that deletion of hydro power from the purview of the act would have adverse impacts on the effected states to combat ecological deteriorations and would create a piquant situation for the Ministry, since hydro electric projects were in the category of the projects where environmental assessment had been made mandatory.
Chief Minister said that the decision to bring hydel power plants in the purview of the act was taken in 1998 after carefully considering their adverse impact on environment.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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