Strong protest against imposing tax for bathing in Narmada

Hoshangabad, MP, May 6: Local residents and political parties have strongly objected to the decision of Hoshangabad municipality to impose tax on devotees for taking bath in holy Narmada river.

Ruling BJP legislators and residents told a visiting UNI correspondent from Bhopal that a protest would be organised against the decision.

Besides, the state government would be pressurised not to grant approval to the proposal.

Independents are in majority in the 33-seat Hoshangabad municipality with 18 independents followed by nine BJP and six Congress councillors.

Hoshangabad Municipality Chairman Nagendra Pandey told this correspondent that the decision was taken for developing Narmada river and removing waste from Narmada ghats.

Besides, work on underground drainage system in Hoshangabad was about to begin. An expenditure of Rs 5-6 lakh per month would be incurred on the project.

For collection of this amount, Rs 2 would be charged per person as tax for bathing in the Narmada river. The proposal had got approval from the municipality.

After work-plan is prepared, it would be placed before the board. Thereafter, it would be sent to the state government for approval.

Dr Pandey said more than one crore devotees come to take bath in the Narmada river every year. The devotees use soaps for washing clothes at the ghat causing pollution in the Narmada. On whether imposition of tax would hurt religious sentiments of people, he said it was necessary to protect the river. Imposing tax would fetch a revenue of Rs 2 crore, which could be utilised for developing the river.

On encroachment of 'ghats', he said the district administration was taking steps against encroachment. The municipality had also removed encroachment in some areas at its own level.

Itarsi BJP MLA Girja Shankar said the decision was unprecedented in the country, as no such tax was imposed at any religious site in the country. It had hurt the religious sentiments of devotees.

''If such decisions are continued to be taken, one day tax would be imposed on entering the temple,'' he said. He said such 'tuglaki (dictatorial)' decision would foment communalism.

Mr Shankar said BJP legislators from the area would impress upon the state government to reject the proposal.

BJP Hoshangabad MLA said such decisions would start a new controversy in the country putting the issue of development of the Narmada on the backburner.

Hoshangabad-residents M L Malviya and R C Sahariya demanded that the municipality be dissolved for taking such 'tuglaki' decisions. They said the decision was not in accordance with the culture of the country.

They added that the public would come down on streets if the municipality stuck to its decision.

UNI