The traders had stopped their activities for over a week after some 13 containers were taken under control by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority and the Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) last week. [break]
Some of the traders were summoned by the CIAA to examine the containers as witnesses. The anti-graft bodies released the containers on Thursday as the checking failed to identify any discrepancies as they were taken under control from the different stretches of the Araniko Highway on suspicion of gold smuggling, revenue evasion and under-valuation of goods.
“We are relieved and are now back in business,” Nimphunjo Sherpa, an importer, told Republica. The busy trading point had come to grinding halt following the incident, resulting in a major impact in revenue collection. The customs office collects Rs 30 million every day in average.
The traders said that they will start picking up goods -meant for Dashain festival-- stuck in the warehouses of the Tibetan border town of Khasa from Sunday.
Some 300 containers are awaiting customs clearance in Khasa.
Nepal mainly imports apple, garlic and other agro-products and garments from the northern neighbor. The import of the northern neighbor has been affected also due to the weak Nepali currency.
Despite the festive season, the importers of Chinese goods have not scaled up the trading owing to high value of the US dollar and the Chinese Yuan against Nepali currency.
Traders had stopped placing order after the prices of the greenback crossed Rs 100 toward mid-August.
However, as the local currency starts to strengthen, the traders have started to place more orders.
“Though the orders placed targeting Dashain, the goods will not land up in the local market before the festival,” Rajendra Kumar Shrestha, president of Sindhuplachok Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Republica.
Chief of Tatopani Customs Office Mimansa Adhiakari said that the import has significantly fallen this year compared to the same period of the previous years. “Some 982 containers carrying goods had rolled into the customs during last Bhadra (mid-August to mid- September, 2012), but only 119 entered this Bhadra, therefore it is obvious there will be short supply of Chinese goods in this festive season and the prices are likely to go up by 25 percent.”
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