According to tourism entrepreneurs, Mustang Jeep and Bus Entrepreneur Committee is charging Rs 1,000 per vehicle carrying tourist and Myagdi Bus and Jeep Entrepreneur Committee is charging Rs 5,000 each from private vehicles and Rs 1,000 each from tourist buses. [break]
Tourism entrepreneurs complained that members of both the committees were threatening pilgrims and collecting money forcibly.
Prakash Poudel, a tourism entrepreneur based in Pokhara, said he had to pay Rs 10,000 to the two committees while taking three jeeps to Muktinath with tourists.
He said that the committee members asked him to pay Rs 1,000 for Jomsom-Ghasa section as entry fee, Rs 1,000 for green plate vehicles and Rs 5,000 for red plate vehicles. They said the money will go for the road maintenance in Ghasa-Beni section.
Nepal Army had constructed the Beni-Jomson section and the working committee of Nepal Army is in Pokharebagar of Myagdi. But, entrepreneurs are collecting money saying that they would do the maintenance.
Myagdi Police said it is difficult to take action against them in absence of a written complaint. “It is illegal to collect money that way,” DSP Dinesh Acharya said.
Though he heard about the committee members collecting levy, there has not been any written complaint so far, he said.
Meanwhile, Regional Hotel Association of Nepal (REHAN), has criticised the illegal practice in a press release. The association has asked the police to arrest the people troubling tourists.
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