RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, May 30: A tender notice, floated by the Jagannathpur Temple Trust Committee, to select an agency for organising a fair with a price has created controversy.
Critics have termed it as an attempt of the government to impose a religious tax on Hindus in Jharkhand for visiting the fair and depriving the locals of earning their livelihood during the fair.
A delegation led by Pravir Nath Shahdeo, the successor of Jagannathpur temple founder Thakur Annie Nath Shahdeo and a member of the Jharkhand Fighter Fund Steering Committee, met Ranchi deputy commissioner (DC) Rahul Sinha on Monday to stop the public auction.
He urged that the advertisement for conducting the general auction of the Jagannathpur Temple Rath Yatra Mela 2023 deprives those of an earning opportunity who set up various types of stalls, install swings without paying any tax to the government.
“The Khatiyani servants of Jagannathpur temple and common citizens will have to be deprived of the employment they have received continuously for almost 331 years in their own fair,” the memorandum reads. Copy of the memorandum has also been handed over to former union home minister Subodh Kant Sahay and Hatia MLA Naveen Jaiswal.
Abhay Kumar Mishra, a Jharkhand High Court advocate, supported their grievance terming it an attempt to impose tax on those visiting the fair, whose area is reducing day by day due to the government’s attitude to grab its land by one way or another.
“The government has planned the work which the British could not do,” he said through a Facebook post. He writes: “The British took over the Jagannath Temple in Ranchi in 1858. But in 1872 all the property of the temple was handed over to the priest of the temple. Those who had built the temple kept contesting the case. The fair continued to be held on this land, free of cost. If there was a fair, some would have donated to the temple. Eventually the country became independent. The land for HEC was acquired by the Congress government.”
“The land of the temple also came under the land acquisition order. Later, when there was an objection, the land of the temple was not acquired. Now legally the land of the temple is neither with the government nor with the temple but with the priest. However, illegal settlements cropped up on it. The illegal settlements included Mausi Bari Basti, Jagarnath Mandir Basti and Niche Basti besides others. No government has tried to remove these illegal settlements on the land of the temple. The Government of India had to make a housing scheme for the poor, then some temple’s land and some HEC land was taken for construction,” the post adds.
“When the land for the assembly and the high court was acquired, a residential scheme was made for the displaced on the land of this temple. Now the government has found a way to earn even from the remaining land of the temple. Now tax for holding a fair on the land of the temple will be recovered like Jizya. There will be an endowment of Rs 27 lakhs, which will be done by the temple committee. So, the agency which gives Rs 27 lakhs, will definitely recover crores from those who come to sell prasad, flowers, and swings. When it pays the fair tax, it will recover from those who visit the fair. Jaziya happened while visiting the temples during Mughal period. What never happened will happen this year. Democracy is a well-planned conspiracy to fool the public,” Mishra said.
He has shared a picture of Jharkhand Gazette, notice for endowment with his post.
Ranchi deputy commissioner Rahul Sinha directed the queries in the matter towards Jagannathpur Mandir Nyas Samiti chairman Ranendra Kumar, who said that there is nothing wrong if the government floated a tender for organizing the fair.
“Government’s attempt will prevent illegal collection and bring transparency to the temple’s earning and those associated with the temple with vested interest will be sidelined. Such a controversy was expected,” Kumar, the Director of the Jharkhand Tribal Research Institute said.
