The civic body in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur passed a resolution imposing a tax of Rs 500 for holding protests or demonstrations in public open spaces across the capital.
It was decided in the general meeting that anyone seeking to set up a pandal or stage in an open area will be required to pay Rs 5 per square foot, a decision that civic leaders and opposition groups are calling an attempt to “tax dissent”.
According to the resolution, the rates have been fixed for “cleaning and maintenance” of protest and demonstration sites, apart from crowd control during large gatherings. However, many activists and citizens view this as a direct curb on democratic expression, especially at a time when the government has already banned protests at the Tuta Dharna site in Naya Raipur. Critics argued that basic civic responsibilities, such as cleaning and maintenance, cannot be monetised at the cost of citizens’ right to protest.
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