State Govt wants thermal units pay tax for pollution

The State Government demanded a law for imposing environment tax on the private thermal power producers as a measure to compensate for pollution and free power to the extent of 25 to 33% to the coal bearing States like Odisha by thermal plants at the 20th Eastern Zonal Council (EZC) meeting in Kolkota on Wednesday.

The State was represented by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Surjya Narayan Patro, Finance Minister Prasanna Acharya, Chief Secretary BK Patnaik and Development Commissioner JK Mohapatra.

Urging Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who was presiding over the meeting, to take necessary steps on the demand, Revenue Minister Patro said that as per the Central Government guidelines, Odisha has not been able to gain much from the thermal power producers. In comparison to the loss and strain imposed on the State by the private thermal units, the State’s benefit is minimum, he said and demanded that the Central Government should formulate an Act so that its environment pollution is mitigated through appropriate technology and policy.

He suggested that the State be allowed to levy tax on the thermal power generating units in the form of environment tax.

Justifying the demand, he said the coal bearing States suffer the most in form of environment damage and huge displacement because of the establishment of the thermal power stations. In order to get relief, Odisha should be allowed to tax the private power generators by ordering to supply 25 per cent of the total power generated to the State grid free of cost. The State Government also proposed in the meeting that all IPPs in the State must contribute 6 to 10 paise for each unit of power sold outside the State to an environment management fund.

Patro put forth the demand before the Centre for total reimbursement of the security related expenditure for the Para-Military Forces deployed in anti-naxal operations.  Since Naxal menace has been a national problem, the Centre must bear the total security related expenditure, he argued. 

The Government also reiterated the demand for upward revision of mining royalty which has been due for long. Among other issues, the Ministers demanded that Bhubaneswar should be included along with the metro cities for introduction of City Policing Programme being planned by the Central Government and conversion of more State roads to National Highways and provide more funds for development of the National Highways. The one-day meeting was attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Ministers and officials from Bihar and senior officials from Jharkhand.