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The dharna started on Sunday in front of the gate of the Lumbini Provincial Government by the Community Forest Users Federation in protest against the imposition of tax on community forest produce by the Lumbini Provincial Government continued on Monday.
The government has imposed a service charge of 10 percent on internal consumption and 25 percent on external consumption used by consumers within community forests.
Consumers have taken to the streets saying that the province's economic act has a provision that the amount of forest produce fee should be deposited in the province's reserve fund on a regular basis.
The Community Forest Users Federation of Lumbini Province has staged a sit-in at the main gate of the administrative center of the provincial government in Rapti Valley. Kalpana Bhandari, president of Lumbini Community Forest Users Federation, said that the dharna will continue until the tax imposed on community forests is removed. The state government formed a negotiation committee on Sunday itself. She said that since no official information was received for the talks, she continued the protest.
A high-level negotiation committee has been formed from the Chief Minister level meeting to discuss the various demands put forward by the Forest Consumer Federation.
Mohan Aryal, Deputy Secretary of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers Office informed that a five-member negotiation committee has been formed with Vishwaprem Pathak, chairman of the Agriculture, Forestry and Environment Committee under the Lumbini State Assembly as the coordinator.
The negotiating committee includes Arjun Kumar KC, member of the Lumbini State Assembly, Ishwarraj Paudel, Secretary of the Chief Minister and Cabinet Office, Dilaram Panthi, Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Planning, and Mohanraj Kafle, Secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Environment, as member secretaries. Aryal said that initiatives are being taken for talks.
