Gaighat, October 14

Katari Municipality’s ban on the excavation and transportation of limestone has hit two cement industries very hard.

Katari Municipality has banned cement industries from extracting and transporting limestone saying they are yet to come under the tax system.

Saurya and Cosmos Cement Industries have been excavating and transporting limestone from the mine at Katari Municipality. Katari Municipality Mayor Gyanendra Shrestha said that his office had prevented the two cement industries from transporting limestone for the time being as they had ignored repeated requests to come under the local level tax net.

“Industrialists have not even paid vehicle tax. Tippers belonging to the cement industries have ruined the roads at eight wards as they carry limestone beyond their capacity,” Mayor Shrestha said.

Hom Basnet of Saurya Cement Industry, however, said the municipality had halted transportation of the limestone without prior information. “The municipality has not held any discussion with us about bringing us under the tax system. When police personnel took the tippers under control, we came to know about the tax issue,” Basnet said.

Cosmos Cement Industry Director Krishnaraj Dulal said they were not compelled to pay tax to the municipality as they had been paying tax to the Department of Mines. “We are paying tax to the centre while pollution tax is being paid to the local level,” he said.

Placing a ban on transportation and excavation of the raw materials during the festive time has hit workers hard.