Nepal duty checks hit border bazaars from Dharchula to Darjeeling, spark protests | India News

NEW DELHI: Nepalese footfall to border markets from Dharchula to Darjeeling has reduced as the new Balendra Shah-led government imposes a strict duty of up to 80% on Nepali rupee (Tk 63) worth of goods bought from the Indian market, reducing the cost of buying and selling for traders in Indian border districts and Nepal. This has sparked protests along the now 1,750 km open border.While some opposition parties termed the decision an “unofficial blockade” of Indian goods, a member of Shah’s Rashtriya Swatantra Party also said the move was “unrealistic”.For decades, Nepali families flocked to India for groceries, medicine, clothes, utensils, mobile accessories and wedding goods, while Indian shopkeepers, porters, rickshaw pullers, transporters and small vendors built their incomes around that flow. The border is still open, but every shopping bag now comes with a count: whether it exceeds 100 rupees.The move has sharpened anger because Nepal’s land-border rules leave little room for ordinary shoppers, as opposed to larger personal-use allowances in the air travel system.The rule itself is not new. What has changed, traders and border residents said, was its stricter enforcement around the Nepali New Year last week, when Nepal-side checkpoints began insisting on duty on even small shipments. Depending on the item, the levy ranges from 5% to 80%. At several border points, Nepalese security personnel are announcing over loudspeakers: “No exemption for civilians, government employees or NGO workers. Indian goods worth more than Rs 100 will be subject to duty.”Kathmandu instituted the checks as an effort to curb revenue evasion and illegal imports after complaints that purchases from Indian markets were slowing local businesses and hurting revenues. Punya Vikram Khadka, information officer of Nepal’s customs department, had earlier said that the duty will be levied on goods above Rs 100 brought from Indian border markets for personal consumption. He said, we will be strict from now on.The Nepali Congress has demanded an immediate withdrawal of the move, calling it “anti-people and insensitive” amid inflation. The party said the decision would hit low-income families in border districts who depend on cheap Indian products. Rajeev Jha of the Rashtriya Swatantra Party and chairman of the Open Border Dialogue Group said India and Nepal share social, cultural, religious and familial ties. “Setting a limit of Rs 100 is too low and unrealistic in today’s inflationary era. The government needs to review it immediately,” Jha said. “A girl should have a clear distinction between ordinary gifts from her mother’s house and products for commercial purposes. Food items should be made duty free.”Rashtriya Ekta Dal chairman Vinay Yadav called the move an “undeclared blockade”. “This move is against the provisions of the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship. The government should immediately remove tariff limits on household goods and direct security personnel to behave citizen-friendly,” he said, warning of wider protests across the Indo-Nepal border region if the directive is not withdrawn.In Banbasa, Uttarakhand, Bharat Singh Bhandari, chairman of the Banbasa Traders Union, said the change was visible within days. “Business has been affected. Nepali customers are buying fewer products and in smaller quantities. Earlier more than 50 Nepalese nationals used to take around 60 lakh worth of goods to Nepal on bicycles every day, but that movement has slowed down after the tightening of checks.”The strain is also visible in Uttarakhand’s Dharchula and Tanakpur, where traders say customers who once bought monthly ration baskets now split purchases, buying only essential items or return without shopping after a customs warning across the border. In Uttar Pradesh, the impact extends through Sonauli-Belahia, Rupaidiha-Nepalganj and Barhni-Krishnanagar, which are among the busiest corridors between the two countries. Traders in Sonauli said earlier shoppers from Bhairhawa, Butwal and nearby settlements used to come a few times a week, but many now limit travel or shopping.In Bihar, Jogbani, Raxaul and small haats also slowed down. Traders said the timing was bad as buyers usually come from Nepal during the wedding season. About 50 rural markets along the border have felt the impact as customers avoid queues, inspections and extra charges Ramesh Poddar, a shopkeeper in Jogbani, said the ceiling of Rs 100 is unrealistic for normal household purchases. “Even buying a kilo of good tea or a few packets of biscuits crosses the limit. After that, people are forced to stand in long queues to pay duty,” he said.