As of 5 pm on Monday, 1,700 freight vehicles have been stopped without passing inspection at the Integrated Security Checkpoint in Birgunj alone.
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The functioning of the country's main customs office, Birgunj Customs Office, has been affected for a week due to the mandatory maximum retail price (MRP) requirement for goods entering the customs point.
The private sector has objected to this government rule, and the revenue collection of this customs office, which collects the highest revenue, has also declined drastically after goods already imported into the customs point were not inspected.
Ganesh Ghimire, the head of administration at TRS Himalayan Lodge Park, the operator of the integrated security check post in Birgunj, informed that about 1,700 goods vehicles were stranded in the post premises alone as of 5 pm on Monday. 'The number of goods vehicles in the post premises is increasing daily, more vehicles are entering from India.' But they are not leaving here in the same proportion,' he said, 'Except for industrial raw materials, fuel and some items that do not require MRP, other items have not been inspected.'
Ghimire said that a similar situation exists on the Indian side. 'About 700 goods vehicles were waiting in a queue outside the Indian ICP as far as Laxmipur on Sunday,' he said, 'A large number of goods vehicles coming to Nepal are also stuck in the ICP premises on the Indian side.'
Information Officer of the Birgunj Customs Office Uday Singh Bista said that the revenue collection of the customs office has also decreased in the past week. He informed that this customs office has been able to collect only Rs 12.25 billion in revenue till Sunday in the month of Baisakh. 'The target of collecting revenue in Baisakh is 23.24 billion,' he said, 'Only 53 percent has been collected till Sunday.' Only Rs 170 million in revenue was collected on Sunday. On a normal day, this customs office was collecting Rs 60 to 65 crore in revenue. He said that items other than industrial raw materials, bulk items, project goods, dirty cargo, fruits, and vegetables were not inspected. According to a notification issued by the Government of Nepal on Chaitra 26, 2082, the inspection of imported goods from customs points across the country, including Birgunj, has been affected since last Tuesday.
The Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an umbrella organization of businessmen, has objected to the government's move, saying that the decision to unilaterally implement MRP without sufficient consultation with stakeholders is not private sector-friendly.
