Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The Command Area Development Authority (CADA) office has made a record by collecting the highest amount of water tax of Rs 106 crore (this year) from its consumers (government and semi-government offices and other local self-governing bodies) which utilise water through resources in the jurisdiction of the office.
CADA superintending engineer S K Sabbinwar hopes the figure is expected to reach Rs 115 crore by March 31.
Jayakwadi Dam is the region's biggest project which comes under CADA's jurisdiction. The office also supplies drinking water through this dam to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC), Jalna Municipal Council, Thermal Power Station (Parli), Paithan Municipal Council, Paithan MIDC, Waluj MIDC along with Paithan, Lohegaon-Gangapur, Bidkin, Katpur, Pimpalwadi, Jamgaon, Kaygaon, Bagdi, etc gram panchayats.
Besides, the Jayakwadi Dam supplies water to irrigate an area of 1.81 hectares of land. There are 11 big projects including Jayakwadi, 75 medium projects, and 749 small projects in the jurisdiction. The water for irrigation purposes is also provided through 15 high-level weirs built on the Godavari River and 27 weirs built on the Terna, Manjra and Rena Rivers. The water tax is collected through various branches of the CADA office.
The superintending engineer said, “The target collection of water tax in the year 2023-24 was Rs 80 crore, but we have collected Rs 106 crore so far and I am hopeful that the collection figure will escalate more till March 31. The major water consumer of the CADA office is MahaGenco’s Thermal Power Station at Parli. We got a tax of Rs 50 crore from it; Rs 30 crore from MIDC and Rs 5 crore from CSMC.”
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We have been collecting water tax more than the given target to us for the last two years. The CADA office had collected water tax of Rs 60 crore in 2021; Rs 66 crore in 2022; Rs 83 crore in 2023 and Rs 106 crore in 2024 (till date) through the successful efforts of our team, said the superintending engineer.