DRI prepares to auction 11 tonnes seized cumin

BHAIRAHAWA, APR 22 -

The Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) is preparing to auction off 11 tonnes of cumin seeds confiscated eight months ago as they are starting to go bad. The popular spice with an estimated value of Rs 3.3 million has been under storage at Maheshpur Customs, Nawalparasi.

The DRI had seized the contraband cumin seeds on Sept 20, 2013 after finding them stored in a house at Maheshpur. The seeds had been imported without paying customs duty.

The department said that it had put the cumin seeds in storage and handed over the keys to the warehouse to the Armed Police Force (APF). Earlier, a group of people involved in importing the spice had tried to obstruct the DRI from storing it.

The department’s Director General Khum Raj Punjali said that they would auction the cumin seeds as soon as possible. “Some traders have been pestering us still to release the seized seeds,” he added.

The department had issued a seven-day notice asking the importer to claim the confiscated cumin, but nobody showed up.

“A few days later, businessmen began pressuring customs employees to short-weight the seeds and undervalue them and give customs clearance,” said a staff member at the customs office. “They had pressurized the officials to give customs clearance in the name of Bhuwaneshwori Trading Company, and they are still lobbying to get customs clearance.”

When the DRI postponed the planned auction of the cumin seeds even after publishing an auction notice in the government-owned Gorkhapatra daily, some traders said it weakened the government.

“It seems the government itself is helpless before the smugglers,” a trader said.

Meanwhile, Director General Punjali said that they would finalise the process of the auction soon.

“The public sale was postponed due to the Constituent Assembly election, but we are fully committed to completing it soon,” he said.

Kulraj Gyawali, chief at the Bhairahawa Customs Office, said that they were facing problems to store other goods due to the confiscated cumin.

“We have not been able to make space for other goods at the warehouse,” he added.

Source: The Kathmandu Post