The boatmen, who inhabit 80-odd ghats dotting the sacred river in Varanasi, formed a boat-chain from Raj Ghat to Assi Ghat. The strike is expected to hit the tourist inflow to the temple city.

“We will not end the strike until the forest department revokes the tax,” said a Maa Ganga Nishadraj Seva Samiti boatman.

Joining their cause was the Congress party, with local MP Rajesh Mishra threatening to resort to a “fast unto death” if the tax was not withdrawn. Flanking Mishra was party leader Daya Shankar Mishra ‘Dayalu’, who lost the last Assembly elections from the Varanasi South seat to the BJP by over 19,000 votes.

Interestingly, the boatmen community, majority of which is Varanasi South constituency, is estimated to bring in 20,000 votes.

“We will not tolerate this injustice and support the boatmen fully in their battle against the forest department,” Dayalu said.

The forest department had recently decided to impose the entry tax aiming towards the preservation of the tortoise sanctuary.

Besides making the 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.