Country’s imports and exports via the Nepal-India border point in Bhairahawa have taken a hit despite repeated requests to the Indian side to remove obstacles.

Nepal’s imports and exports from the border point have been affected after India’s Sashastra Seema Bal imposed strict measures even on people crossing the border. The SSB first increased surveillance at the border point around three weeks ago.

Officials in Kathmandu regretted the lack of progress in the situation even after the visit to border on July 28 by Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri. He had held meetings with Indian officials at the Sunauli border together with Nepali Ambassador to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay. Ambassador Puri had committed smooth cross-border trade.

Commerce Minister Min Bahadur Bishwokarma said Nepal-bound cargoes have been affected due to GST, the new tax regime in India. But the situation is different from what the minister claims. Even empty India-bound trucks and tankers are being subjected to serious security checks at the border.

Spokesperson for the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu Ruby Jaspreet said that local authorities in that area know the problem and are sorting it out soon.

The Nepali side has taken up the matter in New Delhi, to no avail, officials said. For a few days, the SSB relaxed the measures but the Indian side reverted to the old tactic in no time, said officials.

The heightened security measure, which is unusual and uncommon, has created serpentine queues of cargo trucks at the border point.

As a result, cargo movement has come to a crawl, creating traffic congestion that stretches as far as four kilometres.

The SSB had increased its surveillance along the border point in Bhairahawa a few days after the Indian government allowed it to run an intelligence wing along the borders of Nepal and Bhutan to keep tabs on activities of “anti-India and other inimical” elements.

Only around 100 cargo vehicles are entering Nepal from India on a day. Previously, 300 to 350 trucks used to ferry goods to Nepal every day.

(With inputs from Madhav Dhungana in Bhairahawa)