Two days after Assam Legislative Assembly speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami reportedly told businessmen of Jorhat to donate liberally if they want development works to be undertaken in their respective areas, the community comprising mostly of Marwari business men is fuming.
Goswami, who represents Jorhat LAC in the Assembly, said this while inaugurating the Tocklai bridge which connects Digambarchook to Raja Maidam.
Goswami allegedly said that the business community at JPR had not kept to their promise of giving money for making the Road in their locality and would be made to face the consequences.
He further said that he had seen several buildings of schools and hospitals in Rajasthan which had been built by businessmen of Jorhat and these people should also give as much here as they were spending there.
A businessman, on condition of anonymity said that if schools and colleges had been built there it was for profit and not as an act of charity.
“If the MLA wanted such private schools, colleges and hospitals to be set up here he should provide us with land and ease of doing business and we can set up as many buildings,” he said.
Another businessman said that having to live and earn under such a heavy taxation regime, he was left with little for charity.
“Since the government is taxing us so heavily by way of road tax, toll tax, service tax and whatever else it had better take care of development of roads and other infrastructure on its own and not expect that the people dole out more from their pockets to build roads, drains and bridges and footpaths,” he said.
Another trader said that the MLA who had been elected by the people had no right to seek money from a particular section, leaving out other sections.
“We are not earning money to build roads and bridges but to feed our families,” he said.
One businessman said that over a hundred businessman of the Marwari community had left Jorhat district for greener pastures in other states.
“Jorhat is a small place and we do not earn that much that we can pay hafta to the government,” he said.
