Myagdi local levels collect over Rs. 87 million revenue

By Thakur Prasad Acharya,Myagdi, July 30: Local governments of Myagdi district have collected more than Rs. 87 million in internal income in the last Fiscal Year 2023/24. 

Dhawalagiri, Annapurna and Mangala rural municipalities have collected more internal revenue than their targets.

Netra Prasad Paudel, Chief Administrative Officer of Beni Municipality, informed that the municipality had estimated an internal income of Rs. 45.4 million and it achieved 90 per cent (Rs. 41 million) of the target. 

Mayor of Beni, Surat KC, said that due to the Supreme Court's ban on the mining of construction materials on the banks of the Kaligandaki River within the jurisdiction of Beni, the internal income has decreased. Poor revenue collection hinders the local government from implementing its plans and programmes, he said. 

Similarly, Raghuganga Rural Municipality collected Rs. 11.2 million against its annual target of Rs. 13 million. 

Annapurna Rural Municipality, which has good prospects for tourism and hydroelectricity, has collected Rs. 17.3 million. It is more than the estimates of Rs. 14.7 million. 

Accountant of Annapurna Rural Municipality Office, Prem Parajuli, said that the local body earned Rs. 13.7 million from Hot Spring Pond, and tourism centres in Pun Hill and Khopra Lek. 

Similarly, Mangala Rural Municipality earned Rs. 7.77 million last year against estimates of Rs. 5.43 million. It earned Rs. 1.37 million from the contract of the Myagdi River bed. 

Malika Rural Municipality, which estimated an internal income of Rs. 6.3 million, has collected less than the target. Sagar Paudel, the accountant of Malika, said that the local body had collected Rs. 5.49 million in revenue. 

Similarly, Dhawalagiri Rural Municipality collected Rs. 4.2 million against an estimate of Rs. 3.5 million. "Despite publishing notices several times, the riverbed of Myagdi River could not be contracted out. 

If it was contracted, the income of our rural municipality would have been much higher," said, Ramesh Paudel, a clerk of the Dhawalagiri Rural Municipality Office.

Apart from gravel and sand, the local governments have been making internal income by contracting the riverine resources, tourist sites, hot water pools, which fall under their jurisdiction.

In addition, local levels generate internal income by collecting taxes such as business recommendation fee, approval of the house design, rent of government property, household tax, land tax, registration of personal events, business tax, and kinship certificates.