KATHMANDU: Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has started removing advertising materials installed at bus stops after the concerned company failed to come into contact even after the agreement period expired.
Under a public-private partnership model, Trilok Structures Pvt. Ltd. had installed advertisements at 39 bus stops in the city. However, following the expiry of the agreement, the metropolis has begun removing advertising materials, including solar panels, from 25 bus stops.
According to Bishnu Prasad Joshi, chief of the Metropolitan Police, the metropolis first signed the agreement with the company on August 30, 2009. The contract was renewed for the first time on April 9, 2015, and again on August 9, 2021.
“We started removing the materials after receiving a letter from the Revenue Department instructing us to remove the advertising boards as they were not in accordance with the agreement,” Joshi said. “The process of removing the advertisements will continue.”
Senior Revenue Officer Pradeep Koirala said the company has not paid the required tax despite an increase in the advertisement tax rate under the latest agreement.
“Although a letter was sent on April 24, 2025S requesting payment of the revised amount, the dues have not yet been cleared,” he said. “So far, Rs 1.613 million remains unpaid.”
According to Koirala, the advertisement rate was Rs 700 per square foot in the fiscal year 2078/79 BS and increased to Rs 1,000 per square foot in the fiscal year 2080/81 BS.
He added that Rs 183,939 in advertisement tax and Rs 29,285 in unpaid royalty are still due.
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