The Jharkhand Industrial Area Development Authority (JIADA) has increased the annual rent and maintenance charges collected from industrial units here, alleged entrepreneurs and representatives of trade bodies.
JIADA authorities, on the other hand, said that the hike was minimal. The annual rent has been increased to Rs 10,000 per acre from Rs 5,000 per acre. Similarly, annual maintenance charge has been doubled to Rs 14,000 per acre from the earlier Rs 7,000 per acre.
MSME unit owners said at a time when the Union government launched schemes to help them tide over the economic crisis, the state government is putting extra onus on them.
Mahesh Kejriwal, the president of Jharkhand Industries Association (JIA), said, “Although the revision of charges was notified in April 2019, we have been asked to pay the new rates only now. We have requested the regional director of JIADA (Bokaro region), Mukesh Kumar, to reduce the fees.” Kejriwal added that they have also sent a letter to the state industry secretary Praveen Toppo.
There are about 700 industrial units in JIADA’s Bokaro region comprising Dhanbad, Bokaro and Giridih districts.
“Many units have already shut after suffering heavy losses. But instead of giving relaxations during the lockdown period, the decision to charge us more has left us aghast,” Rajender Viswakarma, the secretary of JIA, said.
The JIA has now placed a seven-point charter of demand before the government. “We want the government to reduce the rent and maintenance charges. Moreover, the newly introduced street light charges should be abolished as street lights don’t function properly in JIADA area. The fixed electricity charge levied by JUVNL should also be waived off for the duration of the lockdown period, among others,” Kejriwal said.
The secretary of JIADA, Bokaro chapter, Sundeep Kumar, said, “The demands of JIA are not viable. The new rates are also not too high.”
