Kathmandu, November 15

Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) today urged the government to release the Durbar Marg-based traders who are in police custody for having overcharged customers.

The Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu on November 1 had arrested nine operators of eight different branded shops in Durbar Marg on charges of overcharging customers.

However, issuing a press statement today, NCC said that government’s market inspection is against the principle of open-market economy and the government has been troubling traders in the name of market inspection.

“Traders have been paying all the taxes (income tax, customs duty, excise duty and VAT) to the government to run their business. However, the government is troubling businesses by using the Black-marketing and Some Other Social Offences and Punishment Act, which is not contextual,” said Kamalesh Kumar Agrawal, general secretary of NCC.

Informing that the ‘unmanaged’ market inspection of the government has been worsening the business environment in the country, NCC appealed to the government to immediately release traders of Durbar Marg and form a joint market inspection team comprising private sector representatives too.

NCC also threatened that traders will stage a protest if the government fails to release the traders from custody.