Export trade has not been able to continue as the agreement reached during the talks held between stakeholders on Thursday from 11 am to 4 pm could not be implemented.
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Export trade through international flights has been halted for two days since Wednesday due to a misunderstanding between the management of Tribhuvan Airport, airport customs and police. Businessmen have maintained that they will not export on Friday (today) until the problem is resolved. The export trade has not been able to continue as the agreement reached in the talks held between stakeholders from 11 am to 4 pm on Thursday could not be implemented.
Cargo businessmen have accused the police, in particular, of playing a secondary role in the airport's inspection room and of causing them trouble in the name of security. After the export trade has been halted, goods to be sent to countries including the US and Europe have been stuck in the airport customs warehouse.
The dispute over whether cargo employees can go to the warehouse to sort, label and mark goods after the police inspect the goods has been seen as the root of the problem. Sources claim that this problem arose because the police distrusted the work of customs officials due to the discovery of gold and other items from time to time.
About a month ago, Secretary to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Govinda Prasad Sharma, was assigned to look after all matters at the airport. After the agreement reached in his presence between the customs administration, police, civil aviation, and representatives of cargo businesses could not be implemented, export trade has been halted for the third day. Nepal Freight Forwarders Association President Rajendra Sangraula informed that the police had obstructed the implementation by saying that the above order was needed during the agreement.
Although it was agreed to resolve the problem for the time being during the talks, the businessmen say that the police in the field have behaved the same way as before in the work done by the cargo. Customs officials say that the main source of the dispute is the issue of whether to allow cargo employees to go to the warehouse to pack the goods that the police have checked with an X-ray machine. The customs officials are blaming the police for their actions. Sources claim that there is a disagreement between the police and customs on this issue. Businessmen complain that the airport management, police and customs are now avoiding the problem by pointing fingers at each other.
Businessmen say, "The police have been harassing Nepali goods that customs officials have cleared and are preparing to take on board the plane by raising unnecessary questions from time to time." Sangraula, president of Freight Forwarders, a joint organization of cargo businessmen, says that goods worth crores of rupees, including carpets, garments, handicrafts, vegetables, herbs, etc. produced in Nepal, have been packed and sent to Europe, America and other countries, and the wrong message has been sent by obstructing exports. More than 150 tons of goods that were being prepared to be sent out of the country in two days have been stopped at the border.
A few days ago, while checking the goods packed by a cargo operator in an inspection machine, the police raised questions about some herbal goods. The police had recently stopped the cargo employees from certain destinations, citing weak security. Police sources say that the workers' destinations were restricted due to the fear of illegal goods including gold entering. When we returned to work after the agreement, the police repeated the same activities as before, saying that there was no order from above, and the businessman said that the export work could not be done. Chairman Sangraula said that the problem was created because the police interfered in their jurisdiction.
‘The police can only exercise their authority in matters of arms and aircraft security at customs,’ said Chairman Sangraula. ‘Currently, there have been activities such as confiscating export goods from the police, having to open all the goods and show them, and reprimanding cargo employees.’ He said that whoever has the authority should do what he has. He said that the export was stopped because the police sought orders even when they had agreed to it.
The airport management, customs government officials and the police have different opinions. The chief (SSP) assigned to airport security is claiming that they did not go beyond their scope of work. He said that it is not the job of the police to stop exports and that they are sensitive to the issue of arms or items prohibited in terms of security. SSP Rajoure said that when businessmen complained about the increase in police excesses in the name of security, ‘The police are not involved in the work of arranging things with the airport management. How to do it is a matter for the airport management. I will not answer the management issue. The police have been checking the goods in the X-ray machine inside the customs, while the customs itself does not have the machine to check them. An official said that more staff and X-ray machines are needed at the customs.
The businessman claims that the police stopped the customs staff from allowing some items, including herbs, to be exported. The police, on the other hand, have been saying that the airport leadership is responsible for arranging all the management. The customs staff says, “This issue is a dispute between the security personnel and the businessmen.” The source says, “This shows that there is no coordination between the customs staff and the police. It seems that the police do not trust the customs staff.”
“The plane flew empty at night for two days on Wednesday and Thursday. But we were not able to send the goods,” the cargo businessman complained. Acting General Manager of Tribhuvan International Airport Teknath Sitaula said that the problem arose due to a misunderstanding between them on some issue. He claimed that the problem would be resolved soon. He also spent the whole day in talks. But the agreement reached in the talks was not implemented. Sitaula says, ‘The police want to clarify something. That matter will be cleared on Friday (today).’
