As the Indian authorities have tightened customs clearance procedures for Nepal-bound goods, only 21 goods laden trucks were able to enter Nepal on Wednesday.

Traders said that the Indian customs office had started checking the paperwork of Nepali traders minutely, leading to very few trucks being given clearance. “If customs officials had speeded up the documentation procedure at Raxaul, around 300 trucks would have entered Nepal.”

Since Tuesday, the authorities have tightened the custom clearance procedures. The Birgunj Customs Office cleared 100 container trucks on Wednesday that had been stranded in the customs yard. These containers were transported to their respective destinations under police escort.

On Tuesday, 32 fuel tankers had entered Nepal from Raxaul. According to Sushil Prasad Sharma, information officer of the Birgunj Customs Office, 23 of the tankers were carrying aviation turbine fuel, seven tankers petrol and two tankers diesel.

Besides fuel, the office said that around 18 trucks were dispatched to Nepal loaded with daily commodities and industrial raw materials. The customs office collected Rs170 million in revenue on Tuesday.

Gasoline shortage persists

KATHMANDU: Despite claims by Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) of abundant fuel supplies, most gasoline stations remained closed on Wednesday for lack of stock. There were long queues of motorists waiting in front of gas stations. NOC Spokesperson Deepak Baral said they distributed 450 kilolitres of petrol and 500 kilolitres of diesel from the Thankot depot to meet the requirement. Similarly, NOC said it had transported 240 kilolitres of petrol and 400 kilolitres of diesel from its Bhairahawa depot to boost supplies. According to Baral, 150-200 bullets of cooking gas will be imported on Thursday and Friday.