Pune's industry body seeks Rs 500 crore in tax refund

PIMPRI CHINCHWAD: The Pimpri Chinchwad Chamber of Industries, Commerce, Services and Agriculture has demanded that the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation refund the Rs 500 crore tax collected from industrialists in Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) areas for the Pavana-Nigdi water pipeline in the past 10 years or adjust it against future property tax bills.
The industry body made the demand as the civic body failed to execute the Pavana dam-Nigdi water pipeline project for which tax was collected from industrialists.
The chamber has sent letters to municipal commissioner Shravan Hardikar, and political leaders.
“The civic body had started collecting 4% water benefit tax 10 years ago. It has collected around Rs50 crore annually from around 10,000 industries. The MIDC and not the civic body supplies water to the industrial units,” Appasaheb Shinde, president of the chamber, told TOI.
Shinde said that the civic body collects another 4% property tax as drainage benefit tax from the industries, though it has not laid drainage lines nor constructed public toilets.
PCMC had started implementing the Pavana dam-Nigdi water pipeline project in 2009 to bring water from Pavana dam to Nigdi by laying around 40km-long pipeline. But the work was stopped on the directives of state government after the Maval police firing in 2011. “The work has not started over the past 8 years. So, the civic body must refund the money collected from us or it must adjust this amount in property tax bills,” said Shinde. Datta Sane, leader of opposition in the civic body, said that he supported the demand of the industries.