In Kathmandu, Madhesi youth on Saturday held a demonstration here to protest against the Nepal government’s recent decision to charge customs duty on goods worth more than Rs 100 crore from India, prompting several legislators from the border areas to demand easing of restrictions.
Nepal imposed customs duties on goods brought from India above $100 since mid-April or Baisakh 1, 2083, the day of the Nepali New Year, an event that has greatly affected life in the Terai, the southern plains of Nepal, bordering India.
“Cancel customs duties”, “Respect the Madhesi people”, “Do not kill the poor”, were the slogans chanted by about 100 youth from the Madhesi communities carrying banners at the Maitighar Mandala in Kathmandu.
“Imposition of tax on small items brought from across the border by people living in the border area has not only obstructed the free movement of people across the border but has also damaged our centuries-old relations with the southern neighbour,” Kaushal Kumar Singh, president of the Federation of Other Backward Classes of Nepal, told PTI.
People living in the border area, who used to bring small items like daily necessities, food, clothing and gift items from India for their personal use, are now unable to bring them with the new rule in place, Singh said.
Tapeshwor Yadav, president of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra party in Madhes province and Member of Parliament from Siraha-4, has expressed strong objection to the difficulties faced by the public in the border areas, including Madhes province, according to a local media report.
A delegation of legislators from Madhesh and Lumbini provinces, led by Yadav, met Home Minister Sudan Gurung on Saturday to draw the government’s attention to the policy pursued by the Armed Police Force and Nepal Police that restricts the import of goods worth more than Rs 100 and requires customs clearance.
News portal Ratopati said Yadav demanded that border crossings be facilitated immediately, keeping in mind the historical ‘roti-beti’ relationship between Nepal and India and the plight of Nepali workers employed in India’s north Bihar.
The RSP MP said it is wrong to cause suffering to the public by ignoring policies and practical rules that have been in place for decades.
MP Yadav also emphasized that while there is a need to be strict to check drug trafficking and money laundering at the border, authorities need to be flexible regarding domestic and productive assets, Ratopati said.
Sporadic protests against the decision were organized in Sralahi, Parsa, Siraha and Dhanusha on Friday and Saturday, he said, adding that the protests will spread to other districts of Madhes province in the coming days, if the new customs duties are not withdrawn.
People shopping for their wedding and other festivals are also directly affected by the imposition of customs duty, Singh said.
Similarly, an NGO Nepal-India Open Border Dialogue Committee also issued a statement urging the government to organize customs-free transport movement for 48 hours to enable those visiting border towns and traveling to important religious sites.
The committee also demanded zero customs duty on household items.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to the text.