Container trucks stranded at Jaleshwor customs

By Rabindra Upreti,Bardibas, Sept. 13: The destructive incidents carried out in the name of the Gen Z movement have had an impact reaching as far as Nepal’s southern border. Movement across the frontier has not fully resumed, affecting customs revenue since Tuesday. Stricter checks at the Indian checkpoint have brought cross-border trade to a standstill.

The ‘jailbreak’ in Jaleshwar on Tuesday, September 9, followed by an arson attack on Jaleshwar Traffic Police on Thursday, has unsettled neighbouring Indian areas as well. These incidents have disrupted border trade and mobility, with a noticeable fall in the number of Indian visitors.

Jaleshwar Customs, usually busy with heavy goods traffic, now appears largely deserted.

According to Rajendra Basnet, Chief of Jaleshwar Customs, more than 30 trucks carrying consumer and industrial goods, along with a tanker of aviation fuel, remain stranded within the customs yard. Clearance procedures have been suspended. 

Twenty-three vehicles - including 13 trucks of potatoes and onions and 10 of fruits - were allowed to proceed towards Janakpur on Monday, but they could move only on Thursday night after consultation with the Armed Police Force and Nepal Police.

In coordination with India’s Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), four trucks carrying Nepali soybean oil were permitted to enter India the same night. Yet consignments of palmolein and other products bound for India are still held up at Jaleshwar Customs.

“Discussions with Nepali and Indian security officials are underway to allow the remaining trucks to move on to their destinations. At a time when trade in consumer goods should be increasing in the run-up to Dashain, imports have come to a halt,” said Basnet. 

On average, 40–50 Indian cargo trucks enter through Jaleshwar Customs daily. On Tuesday, however, only five trucks arrived, with incoming freight traffic halted on the Indian side since then, Basnet confirmed.

Jaleshwar Customs normally collects more than Rs. 3–4 million in daily revenue from imports. With protests intensifying across the country, only a revenue of 2.3 million rupees was collected on Monday.

“Since Tuesday, revenue collection has been zero,” Basnet said.

Local traders along the border reported that many Indian freight operators have chosen not to cross into Nepal, fearing losses, road blockades or being stranded due to the ongoing unrest.