GS Asgotra
Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 22: Overruling the Finance Minister, Haseeb A. Drabu, the department of Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) is going to collect Aabiyana (irrigation tax) from farmers across the state, despite the fact that announcement for its abolition was made in maiden budget of PDP-BJP coalition.
Moreover as per recent communiqué by I&FC department, the district officers have been ordered to collect Aabiayana, with 15 percent increase from previous irrigation tax.
Source informed Early Times that during the first budget session, the FM, Drabu had announced to abolish Aabiyana. "Not only is it archaic and a symbol of feudalism, the collections from this irrigation tax are less than the cost of collection", adding that the abolition would provide relief to all the farmers across the state.
"Showing thumb to Finance Minister, the PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Minister, Choudhary Sukhnandan has order to officials to accumulate aabiyana from farmers across the state, which has been revealed the lack of coordination within coalition government", he said.
An official, wishing anonymity said that due to earlier announcement by the coalition government regarding eradication of Aabiyana , because of which, the farmer community now has not prepared to pay irrigation tax to the department and showing resentment, adding, "It is one of the reason, due to which, the employees are hesitating to collect aabiyana", he said.
"Keeping in view of flood devastation of last year, in which huge crops were destroyed, the government headed by PDP had also made announcement that waive off 50 percent of the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loans for the smallest and most vulnerable farmers but the government neither published any official communiqué of waive off 50 percent KCC loans so far which exposed the tall claimed of the incumbent government", said a farmer leader.
When contacted to Superintendent Engineer, Rajiv Malhotra said that they were collecting Aabiyana (irrigation tax) of previous year and not collecting the same after the announcement was made by Finance Minister this year.
He further said that so far, the department has not received any communiqué regarding abolition of Aabiyana. "Sometimes announcements cannot translate into orders and we have to obey orders", he said.
Now the question arises, if the collection of Aabiyana is of previous year, then why there is 15 percent increase in Aabiyana, besides if the government had really abolished Aabiyana, then why not order has been issued so far and reached to departments. "It only shows the anti-farmer side of PDP-BJP coalition government", a farmer said. |
