Water war

A fresh row is brewing between a PSU and the state, and this time it’s not over land.

The water resources department and Bokaro Steel Limited (BSL) are at loggerheads with both claiming ownership of the Garga dam, which was built by the SAIL subsidiary way back in 1960.

The matter cropped up last week once again when Electrosteel Castings Limited sought permission from Bokaro DC Amitabh Kaushal to build a dam to use water from the Garga River for its proposed 3.2 million tonne steel plant at Siyaljori in Chandankyari.

It so happened the steel company’s query came at a time when Bokaro district administration was exercised over the ownership of the Garga dam and had written a series of letters to Bokaro Steel asking for documents to justify its claim of ownership.

The PSU was yet to produce the documents, all the while claiming it was unfair for the authorities to raise the issue now, after so many years. In a letter dated 21 August, Bokaro Steel stood by its ownership claim, but said it was ready to pay water taxes.

“No queries on the rights over Garga dam came all this time. Our men are looking for the related documents,” BSL chief of communications Sanjay Tewary told The Telegraph yesterday, adding that it would take time as the matter dated back to 1960.

According to sources in Bokaro steel management, after taking permission from the then government of Bihar in 1958, the dam was built over Garga river to cater to the needs of the plant and Bokaro township.

Over the years, some of the pipes distributing the Garga waters to the township got dismantled and stolen. And the plant began tapping water from Tenughat dam.

Now, given the water crisis facing the district, the sources added, the plant management was preparing a blueprint to use water from Garga dam again.

But since the steel plant was yet to submit documents, the water resources department is now mulling slapping a tax for on it. “We have asked them (Bokaro Steel) to tell as how much water they have used from Garga so that a bill for water taxes can be sent to them as they have failed to prove their rights over the dam,” Kapardar said.

Kaushal said he found it surprising the PSU had no documents to prove its ownership of the Garga dam.

“The government has rights over rivers, dams and its water. Since BSL has accepted they had been using Garga dam for the last 40-45 years, they must pay taxes just like they are paying for using Tenughat waters,” the deputy commissioner said.

“The ball is in their court,” said Kaushal.