Himalayan News Service

Birgunj, March 21:

Entrepreneurs have complained that contractors are yet to remove road barriers placed for collection of scrap tax. The DDC board had asked contractors to remove the barriers on Thursday. According to Parsa DDC planning officer, Kharu Dev Chudal, the contractor company had not accepted the letter even on Sunday. He claimed that four barriers were removed from the highway with the help of police. Entrepreneurs said collection of the tax could resume any time as barriers are still in place. “The DDC is in league with the contractor company and the company has stopped using the road blocks temporarily merely to fool people”, said a local businessman, Satya Narayan Kyal.

“If it wants to do away with irregularities, then both barriers and posts should vanish from the highway”, he added. The ministry of local development has amended the local development regulation annulling permission to put up such barriers for tax collection on January 10. It reissued the order on March 28 after the DDC was unable to implement the new regulation. The DDC planning officer, Chudal said after the amendment of the regulation, the DDC would collect tax at the source from next year. He said the DDC was conducting a study to assess scrap production, collection and sale centre. The DDC has permitted the contractor to collect scrap tax at the posts of Parwanipur, Gandak, Bhansar and Kalaiya of Birgunj-Pathalaiya road for Rs 17.8 million. It has already taken Rs 13 million as the instalment till Falgun, besides a deposit of Rs 4 million.