Debate has intensified in the districts of Madhesh after the administration increased surveillance on vehicles with Indian number plates due to revenue leakage and security challenges.
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Due to the open Nepal-India border, the movement of vehicles with Indian number plates in the districts of Madhesh Province is considered normal.
Recently, the local administration has increased its strictness and surveillance on these vehicles, which has created a new debate. The presence of vehicles with Indian number plates in Madhesh Province and their regulation has now become a hot topic of discussion.
Considering the increasing unauthorized use of vehicles with Indian number plates in the border area and the security and economic challenges it has caused, the local administration has said that it has started stricter surveillance and action. Political parties have protested saying that the Sarlahi administration is preparing to ban vehicles with Indian number plates from plying without customs revenue.
On Chaitra 29, the CPN-UML, Nepali Communist Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Janata Samajpadi Party, Rastriya Mukti Party, Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal and Ujjaya Nepal Party have jointly issued a press release demanding that movement be allowed within 30 kilometers of the border and that it be restored.
The parties have warned that they will launch an agitation if Indian vehicles are not allowed to ply. Sarlahi Chief District Officer Ramuraj Kadariya has stated that strict action will be taken against Indian vehicles plying without customs clearance.
When Indian vehicles enter Nepal, a daily customs duty of Rs 600 is payable for four-wheelers. A daily customs duty of Rs 200 is payable for motorcycles. The Gaur Customs Office has stated that a provision has been made for a daily revenue duty of Rs 400 for three-wheelers.
Chief Customs Officer Bikash Raj Rajak said that a free one-day pass is being given to Indians who go to the border market and return. ‘We have allowed Indian vehicles entering through the customs checkpoint to enter only after paying the revenue,’ he said, ‘They cannot legally be driven without customs.’ In the case of Indian vehicles, they can stay in Nepal for only 30 days a year after paying the revenue.’
Security officials say that a large number of Indian vehicles were kept in houses without customs clearance in the districts of Madhesh Province. ‘They used to drive for months after paying the customs revenue for one day to enter,’ the official says. ‘If they are found during the inspection, the past trend of releasing them based on political access will now stop.’
No agency has a single data on vehicles with Indian number plates in the inner villages and markets of the districts of Madhesh Province. According to Gaur Customs, 60 to 80 Indian vehicles enter Nepal daily. But no data is kept on whether they return or stay. According to security officials, nearly 10,000 Indian vehicles have entered 8 districts of Madhesh. Most of them do not pay customs revenue. Vehicles with Indian number plates are still seen parked in the inner settlements of the district. Even in the market's motor garages, Indian vehicles are often kept under cover.
Locals in the border areas have been buying vehicles with Indian number plates to evade expensive customs duties and using the 'day pass' facility or driving them secretly. Political party leaders are also among those who drive vehicles with Indian number plates. This number almost doubles during the wedding season and big fairs.
During elections, most parties in the districts of Madhesh Province use vehicles with Indian number plates. The administration's crackdown on Indian vehicles is mainly due to revenue leakage and illegal activities, said Rautahat Chief District Officer Dinesh Sagar Bhusal. 'They bought the vehicle from abroad in the name of cheapness, drove it without revenue, and if there is an accident tomorrow, there may be a problem with compensation,' he said, 'Now we are moving forward with a silent strategy. If they come to the nearest market, it is fine. If they try to leave without customs, we will take them under control and take action.' The administration has stated that it is going to determine the number of Indian vehicles in the district.
Most districts of Madhesh Province have now started tightening the inspection of Indian vehicles. As many people buy Indian vehicles and keep them in Nepal for a long time, the state has lost a lot of revenue. The administration understands that it will be difficult to track people involved in theft, robbery or drug trafficking using Indian vehicles.
The police say that if the vehicle somehow crashes and flees towards India, the victim will have little chance of getting compensation.
According to the Customs Office, Indian vehicles must collect customs revenue when entering Nepal. Such vehicles can only stay in Nepal for a maximum of 30 days at a time in a year, except in special circumstances. If vehicles are found without customs clearance or expired, the administration has the right to seize them and auction them off, classifying them as smuggled, stolen, and even then.
Although the movement of Indian vehicles is indispensable for the relationship and trade of the breadwinners in the border area, the administration has reminded party leaders that it is equally important to regulate it.
Kamal Thapa, spokesperson of the Madhesh Province Police Office, Janakpur, informed that the number of Indian vehicles in all districts is being determined. ‘We have taken strict action against any Indian vehicle that is being driven without customs clearance against the rules,’ he said, ‘It is necessary to control it from a security perspective.’
The Home Ministry had also asked for data on how many Indian vehicles are in the districts of Madhesh Province. The administration has said that it has launched a special campaign targeting vehicles that are being driven without completing the customs process or after exceeding the period of the facility.
During elections, Indian vehicles were openly used for campaigning by putting party flags on them. Even when ministers of the union or province come to the district, it is seen that small vehicles with Indian license plates are seen in droves. Since they are much cheaper than Nepalese, locals in border districts buy vehicles from there. The owners of these vehicles are Indians. Nepalis buy vehicles in the names of relatives or friends from abroad.
JSP Nepal leader and former minister Yogendra Yadav said that it would be a matter of concern if the mythical relationship between Nepal and India and the open border affected the social and cultural relations of Arje Roti and Beti. ‘What was the objection when Nepalis bought Indian vehicles in the name of their relatives because of the cheapness and rode them, now if the government does something to spoil the relations of both countries in the name of strictness, that is not good,’ he said, ‘It is good to bring it under the legal ambit as per the rules. In many countries of the world, there is a history of border residents benefiting in many ways. It is not good to spoil our relations because of vehicles, this is a matter of concern.’
