Cuttack, July 13: Orissa High Court today directed the state government to submit a status report on using of water from reservoirs by industrial houses along with the details of compensation collected in connection with it.

The court issued the order while adjudicating a PIL filed by Keonjhar Navanirman Parishad along with other petitions challenging the enhanced power tariff announced by the Orissa Electricity Regulatory Commission for 2011-12.

It was pointed out that private industrial houses had been allowed to draw water from reservoirs. As it had affected power generation, the state government, while according permission to these industrial units, directed them to compensate towards loss of power generation at the prevailing rates of power.

Citing the comptroller and auditor general’s report, it was alleged that though 457 million cubic metres of water had been drawn by 19 industrial users from reservoirs from 2004 to 2009, Rs 15 lakh was received from one company. Consequently, nearly Rs 28.5 crore is due from the 18 other industrial users.

“The two-judge bench of Justice B.P. Das and Justice B.K. Mishra directed the water resources department to file an affidavit indicating details of industries that were allowed to draw water from reservoirs, but had not paid compensation towards power generation loss due to it,” advocate-petitioner Dilip Kumar Mohapatra said.

“The court expected the affidavit to be filed by July 25 and fixed the date for further hearing on the case,” Mohapatra said.

Earlier, in pursuance of an order, Reliance Energy Limited (REL) managed three power distribution companies in Orissa. The companies had told the high court in separate written affidavits that the industries and the government institutions had owed Wesco, Nesco and Southco Rs 359 crore in bill arrears up to March 31. Out of the Rs 359.04 crore, the industries accounted for Rs 251.83 crore, while the government and the public sector undertakings of Orissa owed Rs 107.21 crore. Of these 409 consumers, 176 belonged to electricity-disconnected category.

The high court issued the order for details on the power bill arrears following allegation that the power distribution companies had not taken steps to recover arrear electricity dues from the consumers. Initially, a PIL was filed by the Keonjhar Navanirman Parishad, the Federation of Consumer Organisations Orissa, and one consumer, Arun Kumar Sahoo.

Subsequently, analogous hearing on the PIL along with two other petitions were filed by the Utkal Chamber of Commerce (UCC) representing 239 business houses in the state and Rohit Ferrotech Ltd of Kalinganagar Industrial Complex.

Two separate intervention petitions were also filed by the Cuttack-based All Orissa Steel Federation and the Sundargarh-based Ashoka Ispat Udyog. Nesco senior general manager (commerce and RA) Sharat Chandra Singh, in his affidavit, indicated that the non-government industrial consumers and the government consumers were running up bill arrears of Rs 229.82 crore. While 87 non-government industrial consumers owed Rs 186.70 crore, 20 government institutions, including the PSUs, accounted for Rs 43.12 crore.

Wesco general manager (commerce) Santosh Kumar Patel said the non-government industrial consumers and the government consumers had owed Rs 92.56 crores. While 216 non-government industrial consumers accounted for Rs 75.59 crore, 39 government institutions, including the PSUs, owed Rs 16.97 crore. Southco deputy general manager (commerce) Madugula Venkat Rao said 25 government institutions and the PSUs had accounted for Rs 27.12 crore arrears, while 22 industries Rs 9.54 crore.