February 1: The Food Management and Trading Company Limited (FMTCL), which has constructed infrastructures on both sides of Ichchhumati (Tukucha) River without leaving adequate space, has not even paid land and housing tax and rental tax.

Chairperson of KMC-11 Hiralal Tandukar informed that the state-owned company has violated the criteria set by the Council of Ministers while giving the seven ropanis of land of Bhadrakali Plaza in rent and has not even paid the land and housing tax and rental tax.     

The company had published a public notice five years ago to provide the company's land on lease. According to Sarmila Neupane Subedi, information officer of the company, among more than 20 bidding companies, an agreement was done with Funland Entertainment Pvt Ltd on June 21, 2017 who agreed to pay Rs 1.51 million per month. 

Although the company has rented the land, they have not paid the tax. Nepal Telecom, Rastriya Banijya Bank, Agricultural Development Bank and Insurance Board Nepal at Bhadrakali Plaza have been paying taxes to the ward office. According to the ward office, there are other offices in the area that have not paid the taxes. 

"The chief executive officer of the company, board members and other officials had visited the ward office to seek recommendation for selling its land to the metropolitan police. I asked them to pay the tax first, but they sold the land without paying the tax under pressure from higher authorities," Tandukar said.   

The Council of Ministers had amended the construction standards in the municipalities and urban VDCs within the Kathmandu Valley on November 16, 2008. According to the new standard, while constructing any structure on the river bank, the builder must leave 20/20 meters of land on both sides of Bagmati, Bishnumati and Manohara rivers, and in the case of Rudramati (Dhobikhola) the distance specified by Dhobikhola project should be maintained while the criteria for other rivers is nine meters. (with inputs from RSS)