In Lalitpur Metropolitan City, contractor companies have been charging arbitrary fees in the name of Kavadi. The tax is being collected from vegetable crates, forms used in house construction, moving goods from moving rooms to furniture.

Since the contractor company got the contract, there have been many disputes between the general public and the contractor regarding the issue of tax. Although the Lalitpur Metropolitan Corporation promised to solve the problem, it has not been able to. The contractor company is collecting taxes by placing a dyke in Sunakothi, Shankhamul, Balukmari and other places.

On Sunday, after the contractor company tried to collect tax on vehicles carrying limestone in Sanepa, limestone suppliers took a stand that they should not pay double tax. As the dispute escalated, the situation became tense. Limestone suppliers filed a complaint with the police.

The police arrested four people including the contractor of Kawadi tax collection on Sunday. On Monday, District Administration Office Lalitpur registered a case of indecent behavior and extended the deadline by 7 days and is investigating.

Among those arrested are Guman Vikram Khatri, Roshan Chaudhary, Prakash Basnet and Shyam Thakuri. Chaudhary Kawadi is a tax collection contractor. Superintendent of Police of District Police Complex Lalitpur Nareshraj Subedi said that the investigation will be completed soon and submitted to the District Administration Office Lalitpur.

Chowdhury's Indreni Hardware and Sanitaryware Company received the Kawadi tax contract from the Lalitpur Metropolitan Municipality last month for the remaining period of the financial year 2080/81 and up to the financial year 2081/82 for 100 million 18 million rupees. 

According to the contract, the company will collect tax on the transportation of herbs, kawadi and animal products within the Lalitpur metropolitan area at the specified rate.

As arranged by Lalitpur Metropolitan Municipality, the contractor shall dispose of beer and liquor bottles, mineral water, oil tins, natural and artificial wool pieces, garment pieces, carpet pieces, tins, drums, metal pieces, polythene pipe pieces, glass pieces and dust, in paper goods. Kawadi tax can be collected.

Similarly, bones, horns, feathers, skin and wool of dead or killed animals, bark, bark, straw, straw, bamboo, wood, stone, gravel, sand, gravel, road, slate, paving stones, except those prohibited by prevailing laws. It has been arranged that tax can be collected on empty plastic bags, bottles, vadakuda, old shoes, slippers, gallin/jerkin etc.

These items range from 1 rupee to 50 rupees and bamboo is 50 rupees per bushel, wood is 200 rupees per truck, while stone, ballast, sand, gravel, road, slate, paving stone is 2 rupees per cubic foot. The contractor company used to collect from 500 rupees to 1000 rupees for the vehicle carrying vegetables.

There was a lot of opposition in the recently held public hearing of the Lalitpur Metropolitan Corporation after the contractor company overdid it. Speaking at the hearing, Rajaram Tandukar, a social campaigner from Kupandol, objected that even though the contractor collected the Kavadi tax voluntarily, the Metropolitan Corporation did not take any initiative to stop it.

He questioned, 'Would the Metropolitan Corporation agree even if the tax was raised on the body?' He said that the people should not be hurt by raising taxes randomly in the name of Kavadi. "This should be corrected by the Metropolitan Municipality immediately," he said.

According to Devprasad Guragai, information officer of Lalitpur Metropolitan Municipality, there is a controversy regarding the collection of Kawadi tax even though the Financial Act of the Metropolitan Municipality is unclear.

In Schedule 5 of the Act, item 18 of the description of collection of tax on herbs, kavadi and animals states that ``in case of others, 2 rupees per kg'' tax will be collected. However, the Metropolitan Corporation has not been able to explain what the other items are,'' he said.