DARANGAMELA, July 26? The water tax being paid to the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGB) by the Indian people of Indo-Bhutan bordering villages for the use of waters flowing down from the Bhutan hills through different rivers is set to be increased by 25 per cent from next year. The poor families of the bordering villages will be the hardest hit as they have no other alternative source of water.
?Though the Royal Government of Bhutan is forcing the Indian people to pay such illegal tax, the Indian Government has taken no steps against the foreign country,? alleged the local MLA of Tamulpur LAC, Biswajit Daimary. He added that the poor farmers of the Tamulpur LAC are not the only victim, similarly is the fate of thousands of people of the entire Indo-Bhutan border from Bhairabkunda to Kachugaon. The former secretary of Nalbari ABSU, Emanuel Mushahari while talking to The Assam Tribune at West Patkizuli village, said that the poor people of these bordering villages have been paying this water tax to the Royal Government after signing an agreement in 1956 with the State?s Forest Department and it is still in force. For instance, Mushahary said, that in the Daranga river which also flows from the Bhutan hills has four bundhs at Sukhnazuli Kalazar-Bartala, Hatiduba, and Sachipur on the Bhutan side. The people of the area have been annually paying tax more than Rs 20,000 for each bundh and the Samdrup Jonkhar Deputy Commissioner himself collects this tax issuing receipt to the Indian people, he added.
?Our fore fathers in 1956 had paid Rs 100 water tax to the Royal Government for using the water of their Kalazar-Bartala bundh but now it has increased to Rs 21,000 since last year,? Mushahari said, adding that ?the Royal Government has recently informed us about their decision to hike 25 per cent water tax. It is unbearable for the people of this areas but we have no way to protest it,? the former ABSU man said. Bakul Mardi, a farmer hailing from the areas of the Kalazar Bartala bundh, said that about 1500 people of three villages viz Kalazar, Khairani and Hartala this year paid Rs 21,000 as water tax for using waters in 3000 bighas land for agricultural purposes.
?If the Royal Government hikes it will become a burden for us,? Mardi said. He added that the farmers of these three villages formed a committee with Herat Basumatary as president and Ranjit Basumatary as secretary and demanded the Bhutanese authority to review its decision on hike in water tax.
?If we stop paying the tax to the Royal Government, they will close the bundhs and our people will suffer a lot as the 90 per cent people of the bordering villages collect their drinking water from the dongs and rivers in addition to irrigation purpose?, said Tamulpur MLA Biswajit Daimary. Daimary has alleged that as there is no existence of the PHE department the people have no alternative but to drink water of the dongs?.