Acting on the MoHA´s directive, police on Sunday removed a check post placed at Beni of Parbat district. [break]
However, the group, which calls itself a road construction and user group, erected its check post again on Tuesday. "We had removed the post which was erected illegally following an order by the MoHA," said Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP). "If locals erect it again, we will remove it as per laws."
The operator of check post, who won a contract from the group, has been charging Rs 300 with trucks, Rs 250 with passenger buses and Rs 100 with jeeps. The operator, who offered the highest bid of Rs 2.4 million per annum to win the contract, collects about Rs 400,000 every month.
"We have been repairing the road with the money we get from this check post for the past 13 years," Tanka Hamal, president of the group, said, adding, "We can not abruptly stop it, irrespective of the MoHA´s directive, until mid January since we have already awarded the contract for this period."
According to Hamal, they erected the check post again after garnering support from local leaders, civil society groups and transport entrepreneurs. However, local leaders of Maoists have rubbished Hamal´s claim.
Lalu Kisan, Myagdi district secretary of the Maoists, said they have not given their approval for resumptoin of the check post. "We have received complaints that the money collected at gun point along the highway has not been properly used," he said. "We should listen to these complaints."
As a result, transport entrepreneurs have been fleecing passengers travelling along this road. In the 13 kilometer Maldhunga-Beni road, passengers have to pay Rs 45 for buses and Rs 80 for jeeps.
"If the check post is removed from this road, passengers will have to pay less," Suraj KC, Dhaulagiri zonal coordinator of Nepal National Federation of Transport Entrepreneurs, said.
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