October 16: India has decided not to implement its decision to divert the dusty cargo entering Nepal through the friendship bridge between Raxaul and Birgunj to the Integrated Checkpoint (ICP) for the time being. The latest notification has given some relief to the importers who were worried after the Indian customs issued a notification that all imports and exports passing through this point will be transferred to ICP from this Sunday.

The Northern Department of the Ministry of External Affairs of India issued a notice on Friday informing that the decision to completely stop the import and export of dusty cargo through the old border point has been postponed for the time being. The department said that the previous decision will not be implemented until January 1. However, importers are still confused about what will happen after January 1.

India said that the decision to shift the checkpoint for the import and export of dusty cargo by one and a half months was taken upon the request of the Government of Nepal.

The Government of Nepal had made such request through the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.

Vice President of Birgunj Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Madhav Rajpal said that the importers of Birgunj had requested the government to take initiative saying that the necessary infrastructure has not been prepared to move the entire dusty cargo to the ICP.

 Earlier, India's Raxaul Customs had issued a notice stating that the import and export of dusty cargo will take place from the ICP from July 1.

Rajpal said that the main problem is the narrow road connecting the Raxaul Railway and the ICP. He argued that because the road is narrow, it is not possible to transport 300 to 400 trucks a day.

India has also mentioned in its notification that the decision has been postponed for the time being as the infrastructure is not ready.

Stating that the ICP has been fully operational, the Indian side has been pressing to shift all the import and export of the Birgunj-Raxaul border to the ICP. Even after four years of operating the ICP, dusty cargo like coal, iron ore, slag and some quantity of industrial raw materials including iron billet, and iron roll are still entering through the old Raxaul-Birgunj route. Salt and fertilizer are also unloaded in Raxaul and imported into Nepal.

Due to the lack of a suitable place for dusty cargo management on the Nepal side, there is no other alternative to the Raxaul-Birgunj route. Previously, the supply of dusty cargo was disrupted due to protests by the local residents of Raxaul.

Loading and unloading of clinker was stopped there five years ago due to the obstruction of the locals of Raxaul. At that time, a team led by the then joint secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply, Ravi Shankar Sainju, suggested that such cargo could be managed at three locations in Birgunj.

Since then, Indian customs has repeatedly given ultimatums to remove the dusty cargo from there but to no avail.