Nepali Trucking Businesses Complain as Indian Cargo Trucks Enter Freely

Butwal. Nepali transportation entrepreneurs have complained that they are facing difficulties as Indian cargo trucks enter Nepal without restriction.

According to the entrepreneurs, Indian trucks frequently enter Nepal carrying overloaded goods. They state that because they can transport a large volume of goods in a single trip, Nepali trucks are becoming weaker in competition.

Pankaj Rai, former secretary of the Western Region Transportation Entrepreneurs and a candidate for chairman in the 14th convention, stated that the 72-hour route permit rule given to Indian trucks needs to be reviewed. He mentioned encountering this problem while visiting various places to understand the issues of truck entrepreneurs during the committee's convention scheduled for this week.

According to him, since Indian trucks are currently allowed to operate for up to 72 hours upon entry, they deliver goods directly to their final destination, which is depriving Nepali trucks of work. Rai demanded that the 72-hour permit be reduced to 24 hours, arguing that if this is done, Indian trucks will only come up to the border, and then Nepali trucks will get the opportunity for transportation.

He also mentioned that Nepali entrepreneurs are finding it difficult to compete due to the high carrying capacity of Indian trucks and the cheaper fuel prices in India.

Furthermore, it is reported that some Indian trucks continue the practice of carrying overloaded goods even after paying fines.

Entrepreneurs also link the incident of the Dumkibas bridge collapsing to the overloading issue, citing examples where roads and bridges have been damaged due to overloading.

There is a warning that as the trend of Indian trucks delivering goods directly to the final destination increases, domestic transportation work within Nepal is decreasing, which could create a situation where Nepali entrepreneurs face long-term displacement.