Due to lack of establishment of customs office at Korla border post No. 24 between Nepal and China located in Lomanthang Rural Municipality-1 of Upper Mustang, the state has been losing lakhs of revenue daily.

As no customs office and revenue collection system has been established at the Korla border crossing, which has been formally opened for a year, traders from China have been bringing goods worth crores of rupees to Nepal through the Korla border crossing daily. 

Recently, with the seizure of illegal goods worth more than 60 million without a customs declaration bill, which was being brought by a cargo truck in Jomsom by the Mustang team of the district police, it has been revealed that illegal transportation is going on uninterruptedly through Korla border crossing. 

'There is no Nepalese customs office and staff at Korla checkpoint. There is little chance that illegal goods will be stopped until the system of the customs office reaches the Korla border," said Bishnuprasad Bhusal, the chief district officer of Mustang. "I have repeatedly informed the concerned agencies, including the revenue department, from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Finance, about the customs problem at the Korla border.  Bhusal said that the problem is that there is no body that understands the

businessmen pay revenue. "After opening the gates, the materials will come, we need to update quickly," he said. The customs office is supposed to be at Korla checkpoint, 19 km away, but the board of the customs office is kept inside the BOP of the armed police at Nechung, but the employees stay at the headquarters, Jomsom. According to the district administration office, the customs office of Nechung has been left in the hands of a local Kuruwa.

Minister of Home Affairs Ramesh Ukhtar inaugurated the immigration office at Korla crossing last November 14. Since the Immigration Office only regulates the people who cross through the Korla border crossing, the revenue is being lost due to the absence of the Customs Office, the body for quarantine of import-export goods, and bill-billing.

After the Mustang police seized illegal materials worth more than 68 million including electronic cigarettes (Vape) from Jomsom last Friday in a truck numbered Lu 1 B 6999, it was revealed that smugglers are taking advantage of the zero presence of Nepalese customs personnel at Korla checkpoint. 

The customs office at Lomanthang is now closed. Uninterrupted goods are being transported through Korla crossing. Inspector Sagar Paudel said on behalf of the Mustang that 19 thousand electronic cigarettes, clothes, drinks and grocery items were seized from the Korla border crossing to Beni-Pokhara via Jomsom. 

Mustang Police have arrested 36-year-old driver Bishnu Thapa of Myade Rural Municipality-5 of Tanahun, Tusi Angya Gurung of Lomanthang-3 Phuwa and truck owner Dhyacho Gurung of Lomanthang and sent them to Revenue Investigation Department, Kathmandu, along with the truck used to transport illegal goods.

The seized illegal items include 1,900 packs of lemon line ice vape (95 large cartons), Chinese brandy, tissues, clothes with Chinese bakkhu hats, shoes, sweets, coffee, biscuits, beef, whiskey, ghee and other items.