Jhapa's Bhadrapur market shows signs of returning to bustling trade centre as customs tighten

BHADRAPUR: Bhadrapur market, one of the country’s oldest towns in Jhapa district, is showing signs of returning to its past status as a bustling trade centre after tightened customs checks at the border, traders and officials said.

Merchants reported a rise in business in recent days as consumers who have long depended on the neighbouring Indian market gradually return to the domestic market. Traders attribute the change in part to the imposition of customs duty on goods worth more than Rs 100 when brought into Nepal from India.

The availability of daily necessities, garments and other goods at cheaper prices across the border had previously drawn Nepali shoppers away, local traders said. The recent tightening of customs checkpoints, they added, appears to have had a direct impact on activity in the border market.

Ravi Gupta, operator of Ravi Vastralaya in Bhadrapur Municipality-6, said business had been very sluggish for some time. “We were about to give up business and look for other options,” he said. “But the business of the last few days has given us hope again.” He estimated current trade has increased by 30 to 40 per cent compared with the recent past and said that if the situation continues business could double.

Shatrudhan Prasad, operator of Rajesh Store in the same area, said the recent trading conditions are promising but cautioned that uncertainty remains. “If the strictness in customs continues, business can increase further,” he said.

Devendra Kishore Dhungana, a veteran journalist from Bhadrapur, recalled the town’s historical commercial importance. “Until 2034 BS, the main customs office of Jhapa was in Bhadrapur,” he said. “But after it was later shifted to Kakarbhitta, the business activity in Bhadrapur gradually declined.” He added that while the current customs tightening may not immediately restore the town’s former glory, it will have a positive impact on trade.

The effect of stricter customs regulations is also visible in people’s mobility. Prem Bahadur Lama, information officer at the Bhadrapur Customs Office, said the decrease in cross-border movement has directly affected revenue collection.

According to the Bhadrapur Customs Office, Rs 134.379 million in revenue has been collected up to the end of April in the current fiscal year 2082/83. Goods imported through the border include textiles, hardware, food and electronic equipment.

Security agencies have increased surveillance at the border, officials said. Shankar Shah, Deputy Superintendent of the Armed Police Force of Nepal No. 2 Battalion Headquarters, Jhapa, said some concessions are given for goods brought in for household purposes but these are allowed only after screening. “Goods are allowed to enter only after paying the necessary customs duties, separating commercial and personal use items,” he said.