LAGATAR24 NETWORK
Deogahr, Feb 14: The traders’ association, under the banner of Santhal Pargana Chamber of Commerce and industries, is protesting against the agriculture bill for the last two days.
They have decided to ban the entry of all types of food items and Agriculture produce from tomorrow for an indefinite period.
Talking to lagatar24.com, the president of Santhal Pargana Chamber of Commerce and Industries Alok Malik said that as per the scheduled program, phase-wise protests and demonstrations were carried out till today.
He said during the phase-wise agitation, the effigy of Agriculture Minister Badal Patralekh was burnt.
According to traders, in the Holy City and other parts of the Deoghar district, the additional tax would hide the cost of agricultural products bought by consumers from all economic sections of society as the businessmen would pass on the rise in price to them to keep their profit margin intact.
The Santhal Pragana Chamber of Commerce president Alok Malik said the Jharkhand state agriculture produce and Livestock Marketing bill 2002, which will be the 2% tax if the bill is implemented agricultural products from neighbouring a state like Bihar and West Bengal, would intrude clandestinely and it would flood the market in Jharkhand.
He also said since no such trading tax exists in both West Bengal and Bihar and even in UP, entry of the products would be through small pick-up vans from the border which is hardly 60 km and will not only put a dent in the business of traders in Deoghar but the government will also not get any tax.
