Nepali importers face challenges transporting goods through Jharkhand and Bihar

KOLKATA, INDIA: Nepali importers continue to face numerous challenges in Jharkhand and Bihar while transporting goods via land routes connected to Kolkata and Haldia ports.

Goods imported from third countries via maritime routes are transported to Birgunj on railway rakes or by trucks or containers. However, transportation through Jharkhand and Bihar has not been easy, as transporters are frequently fined for alleged excess weight or over‑height of containers.

According to importers, they are being charged on various pretexts and for multiple reasons. Kolkata secretary of the Nepal Cargo Handling Agent Association, Mahendra Kumar Dugad, stressed the need to resolve these recurring issues.

Nepal’s Consul General in Kolkata, Jhakka Prasad Acharya, said he is aware of the complaints from Nepali suppliers, who repeatedly face problems while moving goods through Jharkhand and Bihar. He added that the Consulate General’s jurisdiction is limited to West Bengal, but the office is doing its best to coordinate efforts to address the challenges encountered by Nepali importers.

Nepali importers must travel approximately 800 kilometres over land to transport goods to Nepal via the Kolkata and Haldia ports. Of the total imports through Kolkata port, 60% are transported by railway rakes and the remaining 40% by trucks.

Acharya stated that it appears necessary to expand the Consulate General’s jurisdiction to include Jharkhand, Bihar and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

The Nepali Embassy in Delhi currently facilitates trade through the Visakhapatnam port, which lies about 1,000 kilometres from Kolkata and roughly 2,000 kilometres from New Delhi. According to a study conducted by the Consulate General in Kolkata, around 80% of goods entering Nepal through the Birgunj customs point come via Kolkata port.

(With inputs from RSS)