Customs Clearance Resumes in Rasuwa After MRP Sticker Agreement

Rasauwa. Customs clearance, which was halted due to the absence of Maximum Retail Price (MRP) stickers, has resumed. After importers committed to selling goods only after affixing stickers upon reaching their warehouses, as the policy of mandatory MRP was not immediately implementable, customs clearance has begun. The Rasuwa Customs Office at Lhendekola in Timure, Gosainkunda Rural Municipality-2, which was affected for a long time after the flood on Asar 24 last year, had been operating actively since Poush 17 after the Miteri Bridge construction. Clearance was stopped when the rule of mandatory MRP for goods imported after about five months came into effect. Rasuwa Customs Office Chief Customs Officer Tulsiprasad Bhattarai informed that customs procedures have regularly started after importers agreed to affix MRP stickers on imported goods after they reach their warehouses. According to him, revenue collection has started increasing with the resumption of clearance. According to the customs office, on the first day of clearance of daily consumption goods on Thursday, revenue of approximately Rs 45 million was collected, and on Friday, an additional Rs 20 million was collected. Chief Customs Officer Bhattarai informed that more than Rs 65 million in revenue was collected in two days. He stated that the customs office implemented the provision of mandatory MRP (Maximum Retail Price) stickers on imported goods for the protection of consumer interests from Baishakh 15. As there were immediate implementation problems with the said provision, the government had directed the concerned bodies to facilitate it. Following that directive, Chief Customs Officer Bhattarai said that customs clearance has resumed on the condition that importers will sell the imported goods only after affixing MRP stickers upon reaching their warehouses. Container Clearance Intensified According to security agencies, a total of 73 cargo containers, 32 on the first day and 41 on the second day, were cleared and sent to their destinations. Among them, 37 containers imported Chinese apples for the Nepali market. Customs Office Information Officer Thakur Gautam informed that those containers have been sent to the capital Kathmandu. According to him, more than 150 containers are currently inside the customs premises. He said that the clearance process is being expedited after importers declare the quantity. Flood Impact Still Remains The flood that occurred in Lhendekola on Asar 24 last year damaged the customs yard (area where imported or exported goods are kept safely until customs clearance during foreign trade), dry port, and physical structures in the Rasuwagadhi-Timure area. Customs officials have stated that difficulties in customs inspection persist due to the inability to completely remove the debris and obstructions created by the flood. Employees deployed for customs inspection are compelled to unload imported goods onto the debris for valuation due to uneven ground surfaces in the small prefabricated buildings within the customs yard. They have urged the concerned bodies to review the repair and reconstruction work. Dry Port Still Not Organized The Timure dry port has only been partially cleaned and is not yet fully operational. Customs Office Information Officer Gautam informed that problems are arising in managing containers from Kerung due to the inability of Nepal Intermodal Pvt. Ltd., responsible for the operation and maintenance of the port, to clean it sufficiently. According to Nepal Intermodal Engineer Shobhakant Raut, although the damage caused by the flood has not been completely removed, some facilitation has been done. He said that changes could not be made to the prefabricated structures as the construction company, Chinese Tibet Fully, had to give consent to keep the undamaged structures as they were. According to Raut, temporary arrangements have been made at a cost of approximately Rs 2 million for improving the port's entry and exit routes and removing debris. Flood History: Major Damage “Sudden floods from the mountainous region in Rasuwa are not a new phenomenon. In previous years too, floods in the Bhote Koshi and its tributaries have affected the border crossing and trade structures. However, the flood from Lhendekola last Asar is considered the most destructive in recent years,” said Customs Office Information Officer Gautam. According to data from the District Disaster Management Committee, Rasuwa's Assistant Chief District Officer Dhruvprasad Adhikari informed that the flood caused damage worth Rs 912,094,259 to the customs yard alone. Expectation of Trade Revival Meanwhile, Assistant Chief District Officer Adhikari expressed the expectation that Nepal-China trade will revive, the supply of consumer goods in the local market will become easier, and government revenue will increase with the smooth customs clearance. He mentioned that efforts are being made to make the yard here smooth and organized. Representatives of the concerned bodies have been stating that reconstruction of infrastructure is necessary for the long-term solution of the customs yard obstructed by the flood on Asar 24 last year.