 Varanasi, January 21 Over 500 foreign tourists came out in support of the striking boatmen of Varanasi and protested against the imposition of extra tax by forest authorities for boating on the river Ganga here on Monday. Discontented by their inability to view sunrise from boat due to the ongoing strike, tourists from countries like the US, Israel, Korea, Japan, France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain and Germany said they have heard about a separate tax for sailing along the riverbank. “The strike by boatmen must be supported, as the forest authorities’ decision is bound to affect the tourists directly,” said Mario Kallari, an Italian tourist. An angry Japanese tourist, Nakamura, promised never to return to Varanasi and said, “If the tax is not rolled back no tourist will ever come to Varanasi, as watching the sunrise on a boat is the USP of the temple city.” The protest at the famous Rajendra Prasad Ghat of the holy city was organised by the Government Approved Tourist Guides Association (GATGA) whose president Ajay Singh threatened that 103 guides of his association would go on a daylong strike on Wednesday if the tax was not rolled back. “The decision to introduce entry tax on boats and tourists has destroyed tourism business here. The tourism industry, including hotels, tour operators, guides and boatmen have lost nearly Rs 4.5 crore during the strike, which completed its sixth day today. Everyday, the tourism sector is losing more than Rs 75 lakh, including the 2,000 boatmen who are losing Rs 5 lakh daily,” Singh said. The local guides believe that the strike has led to tourists flocking to Khajuraho. “During the peak season New Delhi-Jaipur-Agra-Varanasi-New Delhi is the most popular tourist package. But following the strike, Khajuraho has taken Varanasi’s place in the four-city package. The backpackers are also demanding compensation for failing to take pictures of sunrise and evening Ganga aarti from boats,” Singh added. Amidst the growing resentment from the tourism industry over the imposition of new taxes, the Divisional Forest Officer of Kashi, Alok Srivastava, said, “We are not in a hurry to impose the tax and keeping in mind the growing public unrest the entire tax paper is now under the reconsideration of State Forest Department in Lucknow.” The state tourism officials, however, seems unaware of the situation. While the Tourist Officer (UP Tourism-Varanasi), Ravindra Mishra, said that the department is aware of the loss incurred by the sector, the Joint Managing Director of UP Tourism Development Corporation in Lucknow, R Vikram Singh, was oblivious of the entire development. “If it is true that the department has imposed a tax, then it epitomises jungle law. I will talk to my superiors in this regard,” Vikram Singh said. Meanwhile, the boatmen carried out a protest march from Raj Ghat to Assi Ghat on Monday that was led by Congress MP Rajesh Mishra and Youth Congress leader Dayalu Mishra. The forest department had recently decided to impose entry tax, aiming towards preservation of the seven-km long (Raj Ghat to Ramnagar) tortoise sanctuary. Besides making annual registration of all boats compulsory, the department also fixed a daily entry tax of Rs 100 for motorboats and Rs 50 for hand-rowed boats. A tourist entry tax at the rate of Rs 30 for Indian tourists for the first three days and Rs 350 for every foreign tourist was also imposed. While Indian children aged below five years are exempt, their overseas counterparts will be charged the same as adults. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Tourists-support-striking-boatme...
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