KATHMANDU, Dec 26: The government has decided to provide temporary registration for 94 vehicles being used by senior Maoist leaders including incumbent cabinet ministers and combatants since an indefinite period. [break]
The then Koirala government decided last July to provide temporary registration for the controversial vehicles for a period of one year, following heated debate among the major political parties over their ownership.
Allegations were rife that most of the vehicles were imported illegally from during the Maoist insurgency.
A cabinet meeting held last week directed the Ministry of Labor and Transport Management (MoLTM) to provide temporary registration for those vehicles ‘until the ongoing peace process comes to a logical end.’ As per the decision, the temporary-registered vehicles are using number plates in a combination of green and white on a yellow background.
“Previously, those vehicles were registered for a period of one year through political consensus, and the latest decision also seems to have been taken by consensus,” a source at MoLTM told myrepublica.com.
Of the 94 vehicles, 37 are being used by top Maoist leaders while the remaining 57 are at different Maoist cantonments.
The vehicles getting temporary registration are brands like Tata, Scorpio, Bolero, Tevera, Tata Safari, Nissan, Maruti, Santro Tata Indica, Tata Sumo, Hyundai Santro and Mahindra.
The ministry source said initially some of the Maoist leaders had pressured ministry officials to register the vehicles with private number plates. Vehicles registered for an indefinite period have to pay state taxes, which means the government is loosing a huge amount of revenue through the temporary registrations.
According to the MoLTM source, the vehicles are registered in the names of senior Maoist leaders including Dr Baburam Bhattarai, Mohan Baidhya, Ram Bahadur Thapa, CP Gajurel, Dinanath Sharma, Janardan Sharma, Nanda Kishor Pun, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Matrika Yadav, Hisila Yami, Gopal Kirati, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, Haribol Gajurel, Barshaman Pun, Agni Sapkota, Pampha Bhusal, Posta Bahadur Bogati, Netra Bikram Chanda, and Lekh Raj Bhatta.
Under existing provisions, the owner of a four-wheeler has to pay Rs 300 as annual renewal fee, 2.5 percent of the total price of the vehicle as a road improvement charge, Rs 15,000 to Rs 40,000 as vehicle tax and about 80 percent of the import price as customs duty.
“The nation has lost million of rupees in revenue as no one has paid any taxes on those vehicles as of now,” said a source at MoLTM.
