Kathmandu Madhesi youth staged a demonstration here on Saturday to protest against the Nepal government’s recent tariffs on goods from India worth more than 100 rupees, prompting several parliamentarians in border areas to demand an easing of restrictions.
Nepal imposes duties on goods imported from India $The incident, which has occurred 100 times since mid-April 2083 or Baisak 1 (Nepalese New Year), is a development that has greatly affected life in the Terai region of Nepal’s southern plains bordering India.
“Cancel tariffs”, “respect Madhesi people” and “don’t kill the poor” were the slogans chanted by about 100 young people holding placards in the Madhesi community of Maitigal Mandala in Kathmandu.
Kaushal Kumar Singh, president of the Federation of Other Backward Classes of Nepal, told Press Trust of India (PTI): “Taxing small items brought from across the border by people living in border areas not only hinders the free movement of people across the border but also damages our centuries-old relationship with our southern neighbours.”
Singh pointed out that people living in border areas used to bring small items such as daily necessities, food, clothing and gifts from India for personal use, but now they can no longer carry these items.
According to local media reports, Tapeshwar Yadav, chairman of the ruling National People’s Movement Party in Madhe Province and member of the Siraha-4 parliament, expressed strong opposition to the difficulties faced by the public in border areas including Madhe Province.
A delegation of MPs from Madhesh and Lumbini provinces, led by Yadav, met Home Minister Sultan Gurung on Saturday to draw the government’s attention to the policy enforced by the Armed Police Force and Nepal Police to restrict the import of goods worth more than Rs 100 and enforce customs clearance.
News portal Ratopadi said Yadav demanded an immediate relaxation in transit conditions, taking into account the historical “roti-beti” ties between Nepal and India and the plight of Nepali workers employed in the northern Indian state of Bihar.
The Real Socialist MP said it was wrong to cause suffering to the public by ignoring actual policies and rules that have been in place for decades.
Ratopadi said MP Yadav also stressed that while drug trafficking and money laundering at the borders must be strictly controlled, the authorities should remain flexible when it comes to households and means of production.
He said sporadic protests were organized in Sralashi, Parsa, Siraha and Dhanusa districts on Friday and Saturday against the decision. He added that if the new tariff charges were not withdrawn, protests would spread to other parts of Mades province in the coming days.
People shopping for weddings and other festivals are also directly affected by the imposition of tariffs, Singh said.
Similarly, the NGO Nepal-India Open Border Dialogue Committee also issued a statement urging the government to arrange 48 hours of customs-free transportation for those visiting border towns and going to important religious sites.
The committee also called for zero tariffs on household goods.
This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.
