In an unpredictable move, the State Finance Minister has announced imposition of 12.5 % as Services Tax on Helicopter tickets of pilgrims travelling from Katra to Sanji Chhat, a distance of about twenty-seven kilometers. Fourteen years ago, helicopter service between the two places was introduced by the Shrine Board keeping in mind that old, infirm and physically impaired pilgrims, who nursed deep desire of receiving the blessings of the deity but were discouraged by their state of health, could be facilitated to fulfill their wish. Utilizing chopper services for this portion of journey did not necessarily mean that the pilgrims are from the affluent segment of society and hence can pay the Services Tax. On the contrary, most of the pilgrims using this mode of travel for this portion of pilgrimage are the physically challenged or old and infirm citizens. Before clamping the Services Tax, the Government should have conducted a survey of the pilgrims using chopper services to ascertain the percentage of handicapped and infirm persons.
Imposing Service Tax on the Vaishno Devi pilgrims using helicopters does not seem to be rational and fair. We need to remember that all Governments that come to power recognize that more facilities should be provided to people visiting well-known shrines and places of pilgrimage.
India is an ancient country and people in this country have abiding faith in their religion and religious practices. That is why our constitution binds Indian citizens to respect all religions and treat people of different faiths with justice, equity and fairness. Hurting or obstructing religious sentiments of any community for any reason is disallowed by law. Governments are the custodians of law and constitution. If Governments knowingly or unknowingly violate some fundamental principles of our socio-political arrangement, the people have a right to protest and make the Government show respect to the law of the land.
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board is an autonomous organization constituted by an Act of the legislature. It means that in its internal administration and developmental matters, the Shrine Board will function independently. By virtue of the same Act, the Governor is the Chairman of the Board. It is highly significant that the Head of the State is also the Chairman of the Board. It is an indirect guarantee that the Board will not do anything that impinges upon the powers and rights of the Government and vice versa. This is what in practice is meant by the formula of checks and balances. We are not sure whether the State Government formally consulted the Governor — the Chairman of the Board— for his advice on the proposed imposition of Services Tax on helicopter tickets.
It goes without saying that the Shrine Board has done commendable work in various areas of the pilgrimage and many facilities are provided to the pilgrims to make pilgrimage easy and memorable. That is the reason why millions of pilgrims coming from different parts of the country, one and all, have great appreciation for excellent arrangements available to them. The Board is immensely contributing to the social and cultural wealth of our society. These achievements and many more, especially those giving a face lift to the town of Katra, could be done only when the number of pilgrims to the holy shrine has been burgeoning year after year. Imagine how much does the one crore pilgrim tourism induct into the economy of the State in general and Jammu in particular. Discouraging the pilgrims would mean cutting at the roots of the economy of the State.
Most of the political parties, treasury as well as opposition MLAs and MLCs, politicians of various ideologies, leaders of social and civil organizations, Jammu Chamber of Commerce, Jammu young lawyers association, leading lights among the civil society, one and all, have depreciated the decision of the Government calling it hurting the sentiments of Hindu community. Even the MoS in charge of Finance has said that he was never consulted on the subject. People in Jammu never expected that a Coalition Government would take such a decision in haste without understanding the sensitivities of the matter.
We would advise the Government not to do anything that could stoke the flames of communal disharmony in the sensitive state. Revoking this controversial order is the immediate solution of the issue.
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