Kathmandu, November 21:

With frequent change of leadership in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), formation of a Revenue Enforcement Unit (REU) — an autonomous monitoring body proposed some six months ago — is still in limbo. The metropolis got as many as six executive heads within the last two years and three chiefs have already changed during the last six months. “We had proposed the REU as an autonomous body having all authority as that of a department of the KMC,” said Noor Nidhi Neupane, a revenue officer at KMC. He said the REU is very essential to monitor and regulate all the KMC bodies and it does not only mean to strengthen revenue collection. The REU, according to Neupane, has been proposed to provide authority to recommend punishment and reward the employees.

Another revenue officer Hari Bahadur Kunwar said revenue collection campaign has been affected due to the delay in the formation of the REU. The Revenue Department had proposed

for the establishment of the REU to bring organisations and offices, which are evading tax, into the tax net besides monitoring the activities of the KMC departments. According to Kunwar, the proposed unit to be headed by a revenue officer would include a number of city police personnel from the Enforcement Department and the team would be fully authorised to punish the guilty and recommend incentives for hardworking employees. Neupane said the proposed REU will come into force only after an approval from the KMC board.

“The proposal was prepared following discussions among KMC officials, who felt the need of a monitoring mechanism in the metropolis,” Neupane said adding that the declaration of the municipal polls will affect the decision of the KMC. Acting chief executive officer, Kharu Dev Chudal, said the proposal would be passed after discussing it at the KMC board. Ram Prasad Sharma, Krishna Prasad Devkota, Surya Prasad Silwal, Hem Prasad Sharma Poudel and Surya Prasad Silwal (second time) headed the KMC one after another in the last two years. At present Padma Raj Regmi is heading the metropolis.