Kathmandu, July 27
India has shown positive signals to allowing
the Nepali importers to change the freight destination point at the Nepal-India
border.
It said that if Nepal presented better
locations of its convenience, the process to provide the facility, of changing
the entry point of the Nepal bound cargo, could be initiated.
“The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI)
has not received the demand formally. When Nepal presents the specific
locations or entry points, the process will be started,” said N. Sivasailam, Special
Secretary (Logistics) at the MoCI, India at a meeting with Nepali freight
forwarders and traders at the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and
Industry.
Both the countries are developing trade
infrastructures like the Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) and dry ports at the
border to facilitate cross-border trade.
He said that there were issues related to
documentation and logistics in Nepal’s trade with third countries through
India, most of which would be addressed with the improved infrastructure and
system automation.
“Improved logistics and infrastructure will
equally benefit India as well while the automation will promote electronic documentation,
process, invoices and payments,” Shivasailam said.
According to him, he was here to hear from
Nepali business community about the issues on Nepal related trade and find the
solutions to improve the environment.
Bhawani Rana, President of the FNCCI, said that
the implementation of the e-system will reduce the cost of trade in the part of
Nepal and will contribute in improving the overall business environment.
Rajan Sharma, former President of the Nepal
Freight Forwarders Association (NEFFA), raised the issue of increased cost of
trade due to the implementation of the e-tracking of cargo and consignment in
Nepal-bound cargo.
The government had decided to implement
e-tracking of the Nepal-bound cargo and consignment from the Kolkata and Haldiya
Port some month ago and web-based vehicle and consignment tracking system to
keep track of the whereabouts of the cargo carrying containers and trucks from
this fiscal year.
“The Indian secretary has assured us that he
would personally monitor the logistics’ situation and try to improve it. The
FNCCI will submit written recommendations on the issue to the secretary,” said
Sharma while talking with The Rising Nepal.
In the meeting, Nepali entrepreneurs had raised
issues of insufficiency of train bogies, unloading facility the goods at the
port, and keeping them in warehouses had increased the cost of trade. The delay
in sending the goods to Nepal had been incurring a huge detention charges.
Meanwhile, Nepal and India are setting to amend
the Trade, Transit treaties and Railway Service Agreement (RSA) and mulling to
promote the inland waterways to facilitate trade between the two countries.
In the recent commerce joint-secretary level
talks with India in June this year, Nepal had asked to allow the Indian private
train operators to carry Nepal-bound cargo from Kolkata and Bishakhapattnam
ports to Nepal.
The two countries are also planning to open
ICPs in multiple locations at the Nepal-India border.
Meanwhile, the FNCCI is organizing Nepal-India
Logistics Summit 2019 jointly with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and
Supplies and Maritime Gateway magazine, and in association with the NEFFA. The
summit will deliberate on the current challenges and way to resolve them.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 28 July 2019.
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