Protests Erupt in Gaur, Rautahat Over Attempt to Relocate Taxpayer Service Office

Rautahat. The attempt to move the Taxpayer Service Office located in Gaur, Rautahat, to Simara caused tension in Gaur Bazaar on Friday. Local traders protested, demanding that the government immediately withdraw its decision.

Following obstruction by local traders and businesspersons, the office materials loaded onto trucks were unloaded and returned to the office premises. Traders became agitated after reports that the government was preparing to merge the office with the Inland Revenue Office in Simara.

Businesspersons protested the clandestine attempt to move the office materials from its location in the heart of Gaur Bazaar, which has been operating from its own building. When the truck carrying the office materials was about to leave the market, local traders, including officials from the Rautahat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, staged a sit-in protest in front of the truck. Due to the tense situation, a heavy deployment of security personnel was made at the scene.

Santosh Kesari, the General Secretary of the Chamber, objected to the attempt to move the office on the eve of elections, stating that the move made without prior notice was unacceptable. "The decision to remove the service from Gaur must be withdrawn immediately," he stated.

• Youth and Businesspersons Take to the Streets

After local youth leader Vikram Yadav and other youths stopped the truck, other businesspersons also took to the streets. Following the announcement of a market shutdown, the goods were eventually unloaded from the truck.

Regarding this matter, Nepali Congress youth leader Nitesh Kumar Gupta demanded that the Taxpayer Service Office in Gaur must operate at full capacity. He argued that moving the office would cause unnecessary hardship to service recipients.

Similarly, leaders from various parties, including CPN-UML leader Ajaykumar Gupta, CPN leader Rebant Jha, and Rastriya Swatantra Party candidate Rajesh Chaudhary, who arrived at the protest site, also objected to the attempt to move the office.

They warned that removing the service center on the eve of the elections would directly harm local service recipients and traders.

Currently, traders in Gaur are protesting by closing their shops. Slogans are being chanted in front of the Customs Office, demanding the withdrawal of the government's decision. Gaur Bazaar is currently completely affected. The administration has stated that efforts to normalize the situation are ongoing.