Finance Minister Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat today visited the Mechi Customs Office, Kakarvita, Bhadrapur Customs Office, and the Inland Revenue Office, Bhadrapur, in Jhapa.

The Minister, who had been here to attend an inaugural session of the 15-day fifth Damak Festival organized by the Damak Chamber of Commerce and Industry, inspected the offices and held interactions with the local business communities. Speaking to the media following the inspection, the minister instructed the customs offices to focus on meeting the monthly revenue targets.

The Minister also insisted on combined efforts among the customs offices, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and the Revenue Office to control cross-border smuggling of goods. As he said, the nation’s income depends on the size of revenue collection. “The nation’s income will reduce if the revenue collection decreases, and a fall in the revenue collection will hamper the government’s investment in education, health, and other public service sectors,” he said, urging one and all to contribute to preventing the revenue leakage.

At the program held at the Mechi Customs Office, the Minister said the significance of the office will further increase with the expansion of the Asian Highway. The office’s customs officer, Ram Prasad Regmi, apprised the minister about a declining trend in revenue collection. As he said, the Kakarvitta point is not a priority of the government, though it serves as one of the major transits along the Nepal-India border.

During the minister’s visit to Bhadrapur Customs Office, Bhadrapur municipality mayor Ganesh Pokhrel and the business community urged the minister to give attention to the improvement of the office’s physical infrastructure and provide a budget to compensate those whose land was acquired for official use by it.