Entry fee becomes costlier for SAARC member countries to enter Kathmandu Durbar Square

KATHMANDU, July 23rd : The Kathmandu Metropolitan City has decided to increase the entry fee for citizens of SAARC countries to enter the Hanumandhoka Durbar Square, the World Heritage site of Nepal.

The SAARC nationals are now being charged Nrs. 500 for each entry which went into effect from Wednesday but the entry fee for the tourists excluding SAARC nationalities has remained the same .i.e. Nrs. 1000.

The meeting of the KMC Municipal Assembly commenced on 15th of July approved the Financial Act, 2017 which has the provision of the increment in the entry fee. Previously, the SAARC citizens had to pay Nrs. 150.

As per the provisions in the act, Fifty Percent of the entry fee will go to Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Museum Development Committee and the remaining for the KMC. Along with the hike in the entry fees the precincts for filming purpose also has increased.

Now, the filming of the precincts for the International film has gone to Nrs. 55,000 from Nrs. 50,000 per day. Likewise, SAARC countries and the Nepali ones now will have to pay Nrs. 35,000 per day, Nrs. 15,000 increments in comparison to the previous Nrs. 20,000. The Nepali music video or the concerned producer will require paying Nrs. 5,000 a day.

“In case of any movie — international, SAARC and Nepali — to be made in mother tongue will be charged only 10 per cent of the payable tax,” it said. The act has also prescribed fines for any one encroaching on roads and footpaths prohibited for parking and selling goods.

“Bicycles and pushcarts used for selling goods, fruits and vegetables will be imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500 each. Similarly, street vendors and tea sellers will be fined Rs 500 each.

KMC has also fixed a fine ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 10,000 for motor vehicles parked in unauthorised places. “Motorcycle will be fined Rs 1,000 while vehicle with a capacity of up to 1,000 cc will have to pay a fine of Rs 5,000; vehicle of 1,000 to 1,500 cc Rs 7,000; and vehicle of 1,500 to 2,200 cc or above Rs 10,000,” read the act. Property (house and land) tax, land tax, rental tax, business tax, ad tax, entertainment tax, vehicle tax and service fee, among others, have also been revised.

KMC has scrapped free parking system and said a fee of Rs 15, Rs 40 and Rs 120 per hour would be collected from two-wheeler, four-wheeler and six-wheeler each along the Teku Bridge-Naya Bazaar-Samakhusi-Dhapasi-Maharajgunj-Chappal Karkhana stretch. Additional five rupees have been fixed for all types of motor vehicles parked in core city areas.