Salt manufacturers have urged the Central government to levy uniform rent and assignment fee for the lands they have taken on lease. The levy was higher than what was being charged by the Tamil Nadu government for salt pans owned by it, they said.
With a marked dip in salt production in the State and others States too, the Centre convened a meeting of manufacturers recently and asked them to submit details of problems faced by the industry.
“The lease rent per acre per annum on State government lands is ₹135 whereas those working on Central government lands have to pay ₹2,120 per acre a year, which is extremely steep. This was increased in 2013 and manufacturers were asked to pay with retrospective effect. There cannot be two rates for the same commodity,” said K. Mariappan, convenor, South India Salt Manufacturers’ Joint Action Committee.
