Birgunj Customs Service Disrupted for a Week Due to MRP Implementation

Parsa. Service at Birgunj Customs, the country's largest importer of goods and commodities, has been disrupted for a week.

Due to the attempt to implement the mandatory Maximum Retail Price (MRP) on goods arriving at the customs point, customs clearance of goods other than essential petroleum products, industrial raw materials, and vegetables and fruits has not been possible for a week.

Since May 15, importers and exporters have not participated in the customs clearance process. As a result, the number of freight vehicles being stopped on the Raxaul side of India is increasing.

Udaysingh Bisht, Information Officer at Birgunj Customs Office, said that due to the addition of more than two hundred freight vehicles daily, customs clearance for about one thousand four hundred vehicles on average has been stopped.

"We are ready to facilitate the customs clearance process. However, customs clearance has been stopped because importers are not participating in the procedural tasks from filling out the customs clearance form to making declarations," he said, adding, "The Customs Department is coordinating as needed. We expect this problem to be resolved soon."

A decision was made on May 15 to implement the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) on imported and exported goods. However, importers and exporters have been protesting this provision. Ganesh Ghimire, In-charge of TRS Himalayan Largey Park Pvt. Ltd., which is responsible for the management of the integrated security customs checkpoint in Birgunj, said that due to the lack of customs clearance, there is a line of freight vehicles on the Indian roads as well. "We wish for the current problem to be resolved as soon as possible," he said.

Birgunj Customs Office has been collecting revenue of up to 50 to 60 crore rupees daily. Hari Prasad Gautam, Chairman of the Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, requested that the issue be resolved through necessary coordination, as the problem persisting for a long time would not benefit either the state or the businessmen.