Nepal customs inspections hit border bazaars from Dachula to Darjeeling, triggering protests

NEW DELHI: Nepal’s new Balendra Shah-led government has imposed duties of up to 80 per cent on goods worth more than Nepali rupee 100 (approximately Rs 63) purchased from the Indian market, reducing Nepali foot traffic from Dachula to Darjeeling border bazaars, squeezing Indian traders and making daily purchases more costly for families in Nepal’s border areas. It has now sparked protests along 1,750 kilometers of open borders.While some opposition parties called the decision an “unofficial blockade” of Indian goods, a member of Shah’s BJP also said the move was “unrealistic”.For decades, Nepali families have crossed into India to buy groceries, medicines, clothes, tableware, mobile accessories and wedding supplies, while Indian shopkeepers, porters, rickshaw pullers, transporters and vendors built their incomes around these movements. Borders are still open, but now every shopping bag comes with a calculation: whether it crosses the 100 rupee mark.The move adds to anger because Nepal’s land border rules leave little room for ordinary shoppers, unlike the wider personal-use allowance in the air travel regime.The rule itself is not new. What changed, traders and border residents said, was the strict enforcement last week around the Nepali New Year, when Nepalese checkpoints began insisting on collecting duties on even small shipments. Depending on the project, the tax ranges from 5% to 80%. At several border crossings, Nepali security personnel have been loudly announcing: “There will be no immunity for civilians, government employees or NGO workers. Indian goods worth more than 100 rupees have to pay customs duty. “Kathmandu sees the inspections as an attempt to curb revenue losses and illegal imports after complaints that purchases from Indian markets have slowed local business and hurt revenue. Nepal Customs department information officer Punya Bikram Khadka earlier said that goods worth more than 100 rupees (including goods for personal use) imported from the Indian border market will be subject to customs duties. “From now on, we will strictly enforce it,” he said.The Nepali Congress has demanded an immediate reversal of the move, calling it “anti-people and insensitive” in the context of inflation. The party said the decision would hit low-income families in border areas who rely on cheap Indian goods. Rajiv Jha, president of the National People’s Party and Open Borders Dialogue, said India and Nepal share common social, cultural, religious and family ties. “In today’s era of inflation, setting a ceiling of Rs 100 is extremely low and unrealistic. The government must review this immediately,” Jha said. “There should be a clear distinction between simple gifts that a daughter brings back from her parents’ home and items that are used for commercial purposes. Food should be tax-free. “Rastriya Ekta Dal chairman Binay Yadav termed the move an “undisclosed blockade”. “This move violates the provisions of the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship. The government should immediately lift customs restrictions on household items and instruct security personnel to act in a citizen-friendly manner,” he said, warning that there would be larger protests along the Indo-Nepal border if the directive was not withdrawn.In Bambasa, Uttarakhand state, the change was visible within days, said Bharat Singh Bhandari, president of the Bambasa Traders Union. “Business has been affected. Nepali customers are buying fewer goods and in smaller quantities. Earlier, more than 50 Nepali citizens were carrying goods worth about Rs 6 million into Nepal on bicycles every day, but this has reduced after inspections were tightened.”The pressure is also evident in Uttarakhand’s Dachula and Tanakpur, where traders said customers who once bought monthly ration baskets now split their purchases and buy only emergency items, or return without shopping after being warned to cross the border. In Uttar Pradesh, the impact extends to Sonali-Belahia, Rupadiha-Nepalgunj and Balni-Krishna Nagar, which are the busiest corridors between the two countries. Traders in Sonali said buyers from Bhairahawa, Butwal and nearby settlements were coming several times a week earlier, but many are now restricting visits or purchases.In Bihar, Jogbani, Raxaul and smaller caps have also slowed down. Traders said the timing was bad as the wedding season usually attracts buyers from Nepal. Nearly 50 rural markets along the border have been affected as customers avoid queues, checks and extra fees. Ramesh Poddar, a shop owner at Jogbani, said the Rs 100 cap was unrealistic for an average household to shop. “Even buying a kilogram of good tea or a few packets of biscuits is beyond the limit. Afterwards, people were forced to queue for hours to pay their taxes,” he said.