Customs all-clear sign for Nathu-la

NIRMAL MANGAR

Gangtok, June 20: Trade through Nathu-la will resume on Monday as the 29 per cent customs duty levied on five import items has been lifted.

The items on which the customs duty was charged were readymade garments, shoes, blankets, carpets and herbal medicines. These were added on May 7 to the list of 15 items that can be imported from the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR).

There was no official announcement that said customs duty would be charged on the new items to be imported.

The customs officials posted at the Sherathang trade mart started levying 29 per cent duty on the new items without an official announcement, traders in Sikkim said.

The traders opposed the duty and announced that they would boycott trade at Nathu-la until the items were allowed in, minus the duty.

According to the bilateral agreement of 2006, only traders from Sikkim and the TAR can trade at Nathu-la.

“Traders from the Indian side were unable to import these five items because of the high customs duty,” said commerce and industries secretary, B.K. Kharel.

“I told the traders to carry on with the border trade with full sincerity during a meeting with them here yesterday,” Kharel said.

“We are thankful to the state government and the commerce department for taking up the matter. The exemption means more active participation from the traders, which will eventually result in high imports,” a trader said.

The district collector (East), D. Anandan, said his office from where the trade permits are issued received more than 504 applications for the passes out of which 357 have been issued.

The remaining applications are under scrutiny. (TT)