Importers have complained that they have to pay unnecessary container delay fees to shipping line companies as containers remain stuck in India for a long time.
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The Indian Railways blockade has affected import and export trade through the Birgunj border.
Stakeholders have complained that this problem, which started about a month and a half ago, is still ongoing. Even before Dashain, Indian Railways had been unilaterally controlling the Nepal-bound railway rack as before.
After that, due to the rain caused by the monsoon storm, the crowding during Durga Puja in Kolkata, India, and the elections in the state of Bihar, Indian Railways has been reducing the rack towards Nepal.
More than half of Nepal's total import-export trade is done through the Birgunj border. Stakeholders say that the disruption in railway services in such a situation will affect the import and export trade of Nepal as a whole. The control imposed on the railway rack has directly affected industrial production and trade as Nepali importers' goods have not been able to arrive on time.
Suresh Das, a customs agent at Birgunj Customs Office, complained that one of his party's containers has been stuck on the railway line in Darbhanga, India, for one and a half months. He said that when the container is stuck in India for a long time, the importer has to pay the shipping line company unnecessarily, including the container delay fee. He complained that the containers of many Nepali importers are stuck on various ports and railway lines in India due to internal problems of Indian Railways.
Madhav Rajpal, Senior Vice President of Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that this problem has affected many Nepali importers. Since transporting containers and bulk cargo by rail is comparatively cheaper, Nepali importers prefer to import and export through the rail available at Sirsia Dry Port. But recently, he said, due to the self-regulation and restrictions of Indian Railways, import and export by rail has become difficult.
Partha Chaudhary, head of the eastern region of Kolkata-based Pristine Logistics Company, said that there have been many disruptions in Indian railway services in recent times. Currently, Indian Railways is claiming that rail services have been affected by saying that maintenance work is being carried out at some places on its railway lines.
He said that there has been information that the rail service transporting Nepali cargo will be disrupted until Mangsir 10. He said that this disruption is likely to be extended for a few more days.
Jhakka Prasad Acharya, Consul General of the Nepali Consulate General in Kolkata, also says that this complaint is being received continuously from Nepali importers and exporters. ‘There are continuous complaints from Nepali importers and exporters,’ he said, ‘We are in direct communication with the Indian Railways authorities in this regard.’
Pradeep Kumar Agrawal, general secretary of Nepal Cargo Handling Agents (Necha), a Kolkata-based Nepali cargo handling organization, also said that the recent self-regulation by Indian Railways in the transportation of Nepali goods has caused more problems for Nepali importers. He said that the tendency of containers arriving at Kolkata port from third countries to get stuck in Kolkata for a long time has increased, and Nepali importers have also been burdened with delay charges.
Rajiv Mohan Jha, CEO of Sirsia Dry Port operator Pristin, says that although this problem exists, Indian Railways is fully responsible for it. "We will only handle the containers and bulk cargo once the railway rack arrives at the port," he said. "We have not received any formal information about this from the Indian Railways."
