Anil Ambani led Reliance Energy which supplies power in Mumbai suburban has collected government taxes from the subscribers but failed to pay to the Maharashtra government since 2017. The amount of unpaid taxes that exceed more than Rs.2,000 crores was exposed by RTI Activist Anil Galgali. Despite the expose, the government has failed to initiate steps for its recovery. Now, the company itself has been sold to the Adani group. In a concern expressed by Anil Galgali, he wondered when a case would be registered against the Reliance Energy.
RTI Activist Anil Galgali had sought information on the status of electricity duty and electricity tax paid to the government of Maharashtra by the Reliance Energy after it recovered from the customers. The reply furnished by the Electricity Inspector of Santacruz division, Minakshi Wathore, stated that ever since in June this year electricity tax branch was opened, Reliance has recovered Rs. 591,50,53,500 in last five months from June 2017 to October 2017 in the different heads of electricity duty, electricity tax, Toss and Green Cess as per prescribed rate but fail to transfer to government. While electricity Inspector at Mumbai Central division informed Galgali that from Oct 2016 to May 2017 in the different heads of Electricity Duty, electricity Tax, Toss and Green Cess, Reliance has recovered Rs 860,18,61,700 from the customers but is yet to transfer the money to the government.
Commenting over the brazen violation of not paying the duty to the government on time, Galgali said that when he filed the RTI query with the government the officials woke up and issued notice to the company to pay the duty. According to Galgali, Minakshi Wathore issued instructions to the General Manager of Reliance to pay the duty on November 3 and then Mumbai Division issued show cause notice to Reliance.
Anil Galgali has alleged that there has been purposeful neglect in recovering the dues by the Energy Inspector. In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, Galgali demanded that the Energy Inspector be suspended and immediate cases are registered against Reliance Energy for usurping the government taxes. Anand Kulkarni of the Maharashtra Energy Regulatory Commission has also been derelict in his duty, wherein he was duty bound to ensure recovery of the dues prior to conducting of the hearings by him, expressed Galgali.
