Date:11/01/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/01/11/stories/2007011109920400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Government will consider demands of ice plant owners: Minister

Staff Reporter

GOVERNMENT GESTURE: B. Nagaraj Shetty (second from right), Minister for Fisheries, and V.S. Acharya (right), Minister for Medical Education, giving a cheque to V. Parushuram (second from left), honorary president of Karnataka Coastal Ice Plant and Co ld Storage Owners' Association, and B. Rajaram Shetty (left), its president, in Bangalore on Wednesday. Udupi MLA Raghupathi Bhat is seen. — Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

BANGALORE: Minister for Fisheries and Muzrai B. Nagaraj Shetty on Wednesday said the Government will positively consider the demands of ice plant and cold storage owners of the coastal districts regarding waiver of interest on power bills, subsidised power tariff and tax exemption on ice.

He was speaking after handing over a subsidy cheque for Rs. 51.8 lakh to Karnataka Coastal Ice Plant and Cold Storage Owners' Association towards interest on power bill dues of 37 sick ice plants for 2001-2006 here. While the S.M. Krishna Government had announced the waiver, claims by ice plants over the years were not attended to, he regretted.

Decisive step

However, the Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition Government took a decisive step in this direction to ease the burden on ice plants empowering them to restart their operation for the benefit of the fisheries sector, he said.

Mr. Shetty noted that it was a fact that ice plants in the coastal districts, which were dependant on seasonal fishing trade, were reeling under loss due to the large power bills. As such, the Government would consider their demands during the next budget, he said.

Medical Education Minister V.S. Acharya said he had been raising the issue of interest waiver since 2001 in the legislature. "With our own government coming to power, it was possible for us to address the grievances of the ice plant owners," he said. Of the 152 ice plants in the coastal districts, 37 were closed due to non-payment of power bills, he noted.

Association Honorary president P. Parashuram said the ice plant owners had been facing difficulties since 10 years due to a decline in fish catch, increase in power tariff and the seasonal nature of the industry. The Government had waived interest on power bills and fixed charges during the period of closure of the 37 sick units.

Considering the status of the ice plants, the Government should consider a subsidy of Re. 1 per unit of power, waiver of interest on power bills for all units and tax exemption on sale of ice, Mr. Parashuram said.

He thanked the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister for rescuing the sick ice plants.

Udupi MLA Raghupathi Bhat was present.