A Bihu function in progress

Guwahati, March 30: The “localisation” of Rongali Bihu is complete.

After a campaign to eliminate “outside influence” on Assam’s biggest festival, efforts are being made to ensure that the commercial side of it remains “local”. Light-and-sound system providers have already formed an association to ensure that competitors from outside the state do not eat into their business this Bihu.

The All-Assam Audio-Video and Stage Light Providers’ Association, formed here on February 11 with 13 members, has a strength of 57 at present and could grow bigger by the time the festival begins next month.

Thousands of stage shows are held throughout the state during the month of Bohag (April-May), providing big business opportunities for those dealing in light and sound systems.

Jitu Neog, president of the newly formed association, said light-and-sound system providers from outside Assam did over Rs 60 lakh worth of business during the past two Bihu seasons. He claimed that the government lost over Rs 3 lakh because these traders evaded the five per cent service tax on light-and-sound systems.

Neog said his association was trying to reverse the trend by convincing organisers of Bihu functions to rely on local service-providers.

“We hope to have a strong presence this Bihu. The number of members of our association will surely increase because all local light-and-sound system providers have begun to feel the pinch. There are at least 250 such dealers across the state.” It is alleged that firms based outside the state do business here without procuring trade licences from the Guwahati Municipal Corporation, while their counterparts here have to pay between Rs 700 and Rs 3,000 annually as licence fee, depending on the volume of business and number of equipment they possess.

“The government does not seem to be aware of the situation,” Aninda Deb Roy, owner of Rad Cine, said.

“The local Bihu committees that hire light-and-sound systems from outside the state at rates higher than that quoted by local dealers for the same equipment. Our counterparts elsewhere actually stick labels of global brands like JBL, Peavey and Wharfedale on their Indian-made equipment,” he claimed.