According to the industrialist, even now there is a long queue of vehicles coming from India to Nepal and India for customs clearance. The problem is that it takes 2/3 days for a vehicle to complete the customs process.
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Emphasis has been placed on improving the core customs services and providing convenience to importers and exporters. Stakeholders said that policies, technology, infrastructure and human resources should be developed to make customs services effective. They said that the customs office should take the initiative for that.
In a discussion organized by Lumbini Press Club on the occasion of Customs Day on Sunday, industrialists said that scientific customs duty should be implemented to protect the investment of industrialists and businessmen.
‘Until scientific customs duty is implemented, it is not possible to improve the income of the Nepali market and industry,’ said Rajesh Kumar Agrawal, central member of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, ‘The prices of goods in Nepal and India are different. Goods are available in India at half the price compared to Nepal. In such a situation, the market will not improve just by complaining that the general public does not buy our goods.’
He said that prices have fallen further after India reduced GST from 18 percent to 5 percent. He said that it is not possible to control smuggling due to open borders. ‘How can theft be prevented in a house that does not have walls,’ he said, ‘There is an unscientific customs rate on top of that.’ Therefore, closing the border cannot stop shopping in the Indian market.'
According to the industrialist, even now there is a long queue of vehicles coming from India to Nepal and India for customs clearance. There is a problem that it takes 2/3 days for a vehicle to complete the customs process. 'The job of customs is to pass goods,' said Devendra Sahu, General Manager of Panchakanya Group, 'It takes many days for goods brought from India to customs to reach the industry. On the other hand, when one thing is mentioned in the rules, another rule is being implemented at customs, so we request that they be treated equally.'
According to him, the industries here import raw materials and machinery from various parts of India. The imported goods are brought to Nautanwa in India by rail. He said that the cost of transporting goods from Nautanwa to the industry is double that of importing goods by rail to Nautanwa. They said that industrialists will be in trouble until the railway service is available to the ICP, which is about to be completed in Bhairahawa.
Former president of Siddhartha Chamber of Commerce and Industry Bishnu Prasad Sharma said that for the first time, discussions were held among stakeholders on how to make the Belahiya border crossing more organized and vibrant. ‘The situation is still quiet on the Nepal side,’ he said, ‘Traders in India across the border are busy.’ He said that although goods are not being transported directly from the Indian market, smuggled goods are being delivered to homes from the Terai to the hills of Nepal. ‘This is causing a dip in customs revenue,’ he said, ‘There is also growing concern as unemployment is also increasing.’
Industrialist Ganesh Adhikari said that an environment should be created for goods to pass through customs without any hassle. ‘Vehicles carrying more than their capacity should be stopped,’ he said, ‘How do vehicles carrying such loads reach Nepal’s cities without getting exemption at the customs point?’ Siddhartha Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Netra Prasad Acharya said that smuggling control is the current challenge. ‘Smuggling from India has stopped Nepali businesses and enterprises from operating,’ he said, ‘Customs will not bother you if you submit the correct documents, we should be serious about that.’
Bhairahawa Customs Office Chief Harihar Poudel said that the office has no intention of stopping the goods of industrialists. He said that goods are stopped only when the necessary documents are not received. He said that since goods are being sold in the Indian border market for the benefit of Nepali customers, it has become impossible to stop cross-border shopping. ‘We are trying to improve the traditional customs system,’ he said, ‘We are focused on providing the highest possible quality service.’
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Bhupendra Khatri said that he was serious about the issues raised by industrialists and businessmen. ‘No police unit will cause trouble to ordinary citizens and industrialists for the purpose of earning money,’ he said, ‘This is my commitment and it will be implemented from today.’ He said that he had not come with the intention of earning money by colluding with anyone. He also urged the police to monitor what they were doing. He said that if any body under him causes trouble, he would take responsibility for it. ‘Laws are not implemented in a way that benefits are taken,’ he said.
