Nepali traders face hassles due to lack of China business pass

Published On: April 17, 2017 04:00 PM NPT By: Pushpa Raj Koirala | @pushpa_koirala

KATHMANDU, April 17: Nepali businessmen at Rasuwagadhi are facing hassles after being denied of entrance passes to China.

Even though China is ready to provide business passes, the process has been delayed on the part of Nepal government.

Nepali entrepreneurs have been demanding entrance passes since long. Niraj Rai, Chairman of Custom Committee under the Nepal Chambers of Commerce (NCC) said that they have been demanding for entrance passes but the government has turned deaf years on their demand.

“It has been difficult to import goods from Kerung due to the lack of business passes,” he told Republica Online, adding, “Nepali businessmen cannot get entry into China to choose goods on their own.”

Readymade clothes, electronics, plastic dolls and apples are imported into Nepal via Rasuwagadhi-Kerung checkpoint.

Nepali entrepreneurs have to take help from Rasuwa locals to buy Chinese goods.

China provides temporary passes to Rasuwa locals. For this Nepali entrepreneurs have to pay them for importing Chinese goods.

China used to provide business passes to the Nepali entrepreneurs at the recommendation of Nepali side when Tatopani checkpoint was in operation.

China is ready to grant entrance pass

Nepali traders at Rasuwagadhi and government officials working at the border checkpoint said that China is ready to provide one-day business pass but process has been delayed after the Nepali side dillydallied to come up with the modality to be adopted while providing such passes.

The process of adopting modality has also been protracted over whose recommendation the entrepreneurs to get business passes. Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Confederation of Nepalese Industry (CNI) and (NCC) have been lobbying hard to bag the right to recommend.

Some businesspersons are of the opinion that China should grant passes to them at the recommendation of the Department of Immigration. Such passes should work for three days instead of one day, according to them.

A one-day pass is not enough as Kerung is 28 km from Rasuwagadhi.

“An entrepreneur cannot return to Rasuwagadhi after purchasing goods in a single day,” said Kedar Paneru, chief of Rasuwagadhi Custom Office. According to him a three-day pass should be made available.