Local industries face raw material shortage
BIRATNAGAR, MAR 25 -
The halt in customs clearance services at India’s Jogbani customs office continued for the third day on Sunday, resulting in a shortage of raw materials at Nepali industries .
Around 300 Nepal-bound trucks laden with industrial raw materials and other goods have stuck at Jogbani.
All import-export activities through Jogbani have come to a complete halt for the last three days as a result of the customs employees’ agitation against the arrest of four of their colleagues by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on charge taking bribes while clearing goods.
The disruption in trade has also affected the government’s revenue collection.
Nepali businessmen said hundreds of Nepal-bound trucks ferrying goods imported from India and other countries have been stuck at Jogbani, crippling the country’s export-import activities.
Abinash Bohara, president of the Morang Merchants’ Association, said industries in Sunsari-Morang Industrial Corridor have started to face raw materials shortage, and if the situation prolongs, it will have severe effects on production. On top of that, local traders have to pay detention charge for keeping their goods on the customs premises.
Sources said there is no sign of customs activities coming back to normalcy anytime soon, with the CBI increasing vigilance and starting investigating customs agents too. On Saturday, the CBI had raided home of Laxman Yadav, an agent. As a result of the CBI action, customs agents have even stopped coming to public places.
Biratnagar Customs Office has informed the authorities concerned about the situation. Biratnagar Customs chief Rajendra Dahal said the country faced Rs 120 million revenue losses in the last three days. He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has started diplomatic dialogue for resuming import-export through Jogbani.
Following several complaints, the CBI had arrested deputy commissioner of Jogbani customs Shiva Shankar Kumar, superintendent Adish Kumar and inspector duo Rakesh Kumar and Kuleshwor Pashwan on bribery charges.
Source: The Kathmandu Post
