Brick kilns told to furnish registration, tax clearance documents

Rajbiraj, October 7

Cottage and Small Industry Office, Saptari has written to around half a dozen brick kilns operating in the district to furnish registration and tax clearance documents.

The office has taken the step after many brick kilns were found violating basic standards.

Radhakrishna Pokhrel, chief of Collage and Small Industry Office, Saptari said his office had written to six brick kilns directing them to furnish registration and tax clearance documents.

Pokhrel claimed that the brick kilns were operating illegally as they had yet not furnished any document.

Around 18 brick kilns are reportedly operating illegally in the district. The concerned government office, however, does not have any data on it.

Pokhrel admitted that his office had failed to monitor all brick kilns and bring the illegally running ones to book for want of resources.

Illegally operated brick kilns have been evading millions of rupees in tax every year.

The brick kilns pollute the environment, adversely affecting people’s health, locals complained.

Brick kilns were found to have been operating without required registration in order to evade taxes and to operate the kilns in locations of their choices.

A staffer at the CSIO said the problem persisted as operators had been violating the Industrial Business Act 2049 BS. Pokhrel said as many as 65 brick kilns were registered at his office until the end of the last fiscal.

The government has lately provisioned that brick kilns must have a fixed chimney. Twelve industries, however, have been found defying the diktat.