MOULVIBAZAR, Jan 27: Land tax amounting to Taka two crore 12 lakh 67 thousand 633 has remained unpaid from different tea gardens of Moulvibazar district for a long period.

It is alleged that any action to realise these huge amount of land revenue from tea gardens is yet to be taken by the revenue authority as owners of defaulter tea gardens have good relations with the officials of the concerned ministry. As a result unpaid amount of land revenue has been increased by adding interest.

There are 90 tea gardens of different sizes in Moulvibazar district including foreign owners.

It is learnt from a source of the district revenue department that they had fixed the collection target of land development revenue from tea garden areas amounting to Taka three crore 71 lakh 47 thousand for the year of 1997. But they had collected Taka one crore 58 lakh 79 thousand 411 against the target and rate of collection was 53.51 per cent. It was 43.44 per cent in 1996. At this stage, Taka two crore 12 lakh 67 thousands 633 remained unpaid.

According to the source, a huge amount of land revenue has remained arrear to 8 out of 18 tea gardens under Baralekha thana. Gardenwise statement of unpaid revenue of Baralekha thana are Taka 35,10,800 from Sridharpur tea garden, Taka 11,29,744 from Kumershail tea garden, Taka 12,18,387 from Keramotnagar tea garden, Taka 20,51,880 from Chutalekha tea garden, Taka 5,10,544 from Rahmania tea garden, Taka 66,37,53 from Fatehbag tea garden. Taka 19,03,312 from Shahbajpur tea garden, and Taka 22,8,221 from Hafiza tea garden. Tea gardens from Baralekha thana is in the top of defaulter list of land revenue.

In Kulaura thana of the district number of tea gardens are 26. Huge amount of land revenue remain unpaid from 7 gardens. Gardenwise amount of unpaid revenue under Kulaura thana was taka 78,4,371 from Sagornal tea garden. Taka 85,2,285 from Rangichera tea garden, Taka 21,33,010 from Muraichhera tea garden, Taka 23,5,037 Rajgarabad tea garden, Taka 46,9,902 from Dilkul tea garden, Taka 44,9,633 from Rehana tea garden and Taka 26,6,112 from Sirajnagar tea garden.

There are 10 tea gardens in Rajnagar thana. Land revenue has remained arrear to almost all tea gardens of this thana. Of them Taka 9,3100 due from Shakara tea garden.

The source said that the district revenue department had sent a file to the ministry seeking permission for certificate cases against 30 defaulter tea garden authorities. But the ministry is playing silent role in this regard.

The source added that in every three years, certificate cases has been started against the defaulter tea gardens to realise land revenue. But it failed to make any fruitfull result.

The source, however, said, some native and foreign owned tea gardens under Kamalgonj and Srimongal thanas are realizing their land revenue on regular basis. But other gardens are showing less interest to pay land revenue.