Opposing imposition of water cess on electricity by some states despite it being declared illegal by the Union Government, Punjab Power Minister Harbhajan Singh on Tuesday said that states like Punjab are being forced to purchase electricity at higher rates due to imposition of this irrational cess.
Speaking on the concluding day of two days Conference of Power and New and Renewable Energy Ministers at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi today, the Minister said that though the Union Power Ministry had conveyed to the states several times that the imposition of water cess was illegal but some states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, etc., were levying this water cess leaving the state like Punjab with no other option but to pay higher rates on purchase of electricity from such states.
He sought strict action from the Union government against such illegal practices of these states so that the purchasing states would get relief from overpriced rates. Singh also suggested constructing small balancing reservoirs on down streams of major dams in India to provide water for irrigation as well as generating power in full capacity.