Team News Riveting
Raipur, December 26
Industrialists having facilities in Urla Industrial Growth Centre located at the outskirts of Chhattisgarh capital Raipur are in a fix over hefty penalty imposed due to a reported administrative error.
The Centre, spread over 375 hectares and housing 418 units, is managed by the Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corporation (CSIDC). The state-run had been collecting the required fee from the units against the infrastructure.
The state government in 2003 notified the creation of Birgaon Municipal Corporation incorporating six villages that included Urla. The notification reportedly failed to omit the industrial area from the corporation orbit, propelling the latter to fix property tax on the facility who had been paying it to the CSIDC.
The industrialists had contested the tax and avoided paying. The dues had now mounted up to a hefty amount. “The demand notes issued by the municipal corporation is more than the investment of the industry,” Ashwin Garg, President of Urla Industrial Association, told Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. He led a delegation to brief the Chief Minister on the issue.
Garg said the Birgaon Municipal Corporation had issued recovery notices and threatened to seize the assets if not complied in 15 days. The delegation reiterated its plea to the Chief Minister to keep the industrial areas and parks out of the civic body’s ambit. They also urged the establishment of an industrial township in the centre.
In a statement, Garg said the Chief Minister gave a patient hearing and directed the officials not to confiscate the property. He also asked the officials to initiate the process for setting up the industrial township.
