Truckers Withdraw Strike

Agitating truckers who had declared a strike against the government have withdrawn their strike after the Department of Customs (DoC) on Wednesday gave in to the truckers´ demands and agreed to allow truck containers to transport goods to Kathmandu from the nation´s four major customs.

The federation had launched the strike after the DoC enforced a new arrangement that allowed only sealed containers to transport goods to Kathmandu from Bhairahawa, Birgunj, Biratnagar and Mechi customs.

The new system had been put in place from Friday, and the strike that was immediately launched had brought the transportation of goods across the country to a grinding halt.

The federation had mainly argued that the new system would instantly… the businesses of the owners of the 35,000 trucks operating between the major borders and the capital city, the largest market.

However, during the talks held Wednesday, the DoC agreed that it would also allow encased trucks that can be sealed to continue business. This was one of our two demands,” said Rajendra Shrestha, general secretary of the Nepal Truck and Tankers Entrepreneurs Federation (NTTEF).

The restriction, however, will continue for trucks that cannot be sealed. Truckers said that the flexible new rules mean that all trucks can now continue operating, as the trucks can be converted into sealable trucks, with far less investment than the original plan entailed. “Otherwise, switching to containers such as the ones the government wanted would have cost us billions of rupees,” said Shrestha.

The DoC has also agreed to bear cost of the medical treatment for 12 NTTEF members who were injured during the baton charge by the police on Friday.

The DoC has formed a committee under the coordinatorship of the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Siddharthanagar to investigate the case and also to ascertain the damage inflicted on the vehicles. The committee has been asked to submit its report within three days.

The federation has claimed that some damaged 40 vehicles were damaged during the riot. It has estimated the damage to amount to about Rs 1 million.

“The customs´ Director General has agreed to provide compensation for the damage and to punish the wrongdoers, on the basis of the committee´s report. But if the DoC does not keep its words, we will launch the strike yet again,” said Shrestha.

The DoC had enforced the containerized transport system scheme in a bid to prevent leakage of revenue. The scheme was implemented as a part of the program that Finance Minister Dr Babu Ram Bhattarai had announced in the budget for the current fiscal year. Officials had stated that the moving of goods in sealed containers would help check duty evasion and revenue leakage.