July 21: Rasuwagadhi transit point, which had reopened just two weeks ago after nearly five months of closure due to coronavirus, is facing obstruction once again.

This time it is because of monsoon. Landslides triggered by heavy rainfall has not only stranded cargo vehicles but also delayed clearance of Nepal-bound goods.

Chief of Rasuwagadhi Customs Point, Punya Bikram Khadka, informed that they are facing difficulty in loading goods from the border area due to incessant rainfall since the last three days.

He further said that they are unable to clear more than 50 percent goods that have been loaded from across the border. According to Khadka, mostly cargo vehicles carrying electronic goods and clothes have been stranded in the border area.

This customs point, which collects revenue of around Rs 10 million in an average day, has not been able to collect any amount in the last few days due to obstruction created by rainfall.

Khadka informed that there is no provision at the customs point to protect goods from rain.

“We are facing problems because we have to unload goods in a narrow area and the give clearance. We are making effort to sort  out the problem,” he said.

Customs chief Khadka said they are consulting with Chinese authorities for proper management of clearance of goods.

He informed that more than 100 containers of goods have entered Nepal in two weeks since the border opened.