January 23: Businessmen have been found importing goods with a different label through the Birgunj Dry Port.

This malpractice is being done unabated by big business houses in collusion with high-ranking officials of the Department of Customs and top political party leaders. After the revelation was made, the customs officials are trying to keep this a secret.

The Dry Port and customs officials are on high alert after it was found that betel nuts were imported under the label of red lentil and chicken feed. Additionally, scooters were imported in containers labeled as hardware.

Officials from the Department of Customs have visited the Birgunj Dry Port several time for inspection. During inspection, it was often found that the declared goods were packed on the surface level and the undeclared goods were often found deep inside the containers.

A certain group is involved in sending banned goods concealed in containers with a different label through the green lane.

Goods entering the Dry Port customs are checked in green, yellow and red lanes. The goods coming through the green lane are inspected by the customs officials based on the declaration made by the importer. The yellow lane involves checking of documents. In the red lane, both the documents and goods are checked.

A customs official said that the case is being investigated. “A team from the Department of Customs has come here and is investigating the matter. Everyone involved in this activity will face action," said the official.

This malpractice was revealed after the Department of Customs issued a notice on November 26 requesting the importers to take away the containers that had been left stranded in the dry port for years. The department issued the notice stating that it will initiate the process of confiscating the goods that have been stranded in the Dry Port since the past four years if the importers do not come forward to claim the goods.

In March 2018, the government had banned the import of dried peas, pepper, betel nut, and dates. An official of the Dry Port Customs said that when the banned goods were imported in clollusion between the importers, political party leaders, high-ranking officials of the Department of Customs and Dry Port Customs.

"It is not possible without a setting from the top to the bottom level.”

The Department of Customs has recently issued letters to the importers whose goods do not match with the customs declaration.

The department has asked half a dozen importers to appear before them within seven days. 

There is a provision in the Customs Act that goods must be cleared from the customs within 60 days of their entry into customs office. If the customs clearance is not done within this time, it can be confiscated. After the customs officials proceeded with the confiscation process of more than 400 containers that were left stranded at the port for years, the malpractice has come to the fore.

After being transferred to the Dry Port Customs, Chief Customs Officer Dr Ram Prasad Mainali issued this notice. Although the customs officials themselves revealed this malpractice at the beginning, they are now trying to cover up the issue.

The customs officials started to hide information in this case after the former officials of the Dry Port Customs as well as the Department of Customs were dragged into this case. A customs official said that the business houses involved in this are putting pressure on the high-level political parties to settle the case. 

Information officer Sushil Sharma, when asked about this matter, did not wish to say anything on the pretext that the case is under investigation.

"Nothing can be said until the investigation is over," said Sharma.