At least 50 to 60% of Udyog Vihar industrialists are claiming refund of the Extra Development Charges (EDC) they paid to the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) to the tunes of crores of rupees over a decade.
This comes after the HSIIDC withdrew its demand of EDC on November 18 after drawing flak from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which has directed the financial commissioner (industries, Haryana) asking it to have a "relook at the issue and pass a fresh order in accordance with law after hearing the parties".
The Udyog Vihar Industries Association (UVIA) had filed a petition challenging the rationality of such a charge.
According to UVIA president Animesh Saxena, 400 odd industrialists were "coerced" to pay around Rs50-60 crore as EDC after permissions to their projects were withheld by HSIIDC.
"At least 40 of them have approached the association to know how they can get the refund with interest," Saxena said.
RPS Gill who owns Gee Gee Sports Private Ltd in Udyog Vihar said, "I had to pay R25 lakh to HSIIDC in 2009 after it blocked approval to my business plans. But now that it has withdrawn the EDC demand, I want it back with interest."
HSIIDC charged EDC at Rs348 per square metre from the industrialists who question the idea of it on the ground that they bought land as a free hold, fully developed plot and "paid all the relevant cost at more than the market rates".
{{/usCountry}}HSIIDC charged EDC at Rs348 per square metre from the industrialists who question the idea of it on the ground that they bought land as a free hold, fully developed plot and "paid all the relevant cost at more than the market rates".
{{/usCountry}}HSIIDC had first made the demand in 2000.