Bhubaneswar: A total of 23 major industrial houses in Odisha have defaulted on electricity bill payments amounting to ₹1,096 crore, Deputy Chief Minister-cum-Energy Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo revealed in the Odisha Assembly on Wednesday.
In a written reply to a query by Congress MLA from Jeypore, the Deputy CM disclosed that Jindal owes ₹285 crore, Visa Steel ₹246 crore, GMR Kamalanga Energy ₹179 crore, and Maithan Ispat Limited ₹85 crore. The list highlights the significant dues pending from some of the state’s top industrial players.
Criticizing the previous government, Singh Deo stated that over the last decade, the BJD administration had granted power tariff exemptions worth ₹4,097 crore to 14 major industries under schemes like the Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR) and the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Policy. He expressed shock at the scale of the exemptions, which he claimed placed an undue burden on the state’s resources.
Vedanta Limited, the Deputy CM pointed out, was the largest beneficiary, receiving tariff exemptions worth ₹3,599 crore over 10 years. Jindal Steel received ₹103 crore in exemptions, while J K Paper Mills was granted ₹26 crore. Singh Deo emphasized that these exemptions have been in place since the financial year 2015-16, raising concerns about the long-term impact on Odisha’s energy sector.
The revelations have sparked fresh debate on the accountability of industrial houses and the effectiveness of past policies in managing energy sector revenues.
