All customs offices across the country shut down

Kathmandu — All customs-clearance work at customs offices across the country has come to a halt.

Customs agents, under the call from the Customs Agents Federation Nepal, have staged a “pen-down,” suspending all customs-clearance tasks. In protest against certain provisions of the newly effective Customs Act, 2082 (effective from 21 Mangsir), the Federation has disrupted customs services nationwide.

According to the Federation, instead of simplifying international trade and clearance procedures, the new law has discouraged the professional rights of customs agents — undermining industry, business, and legitimate trade.

Since the draft stage of the Customs Act, 2082, the Federation had been demanding inclusion of provisions such as licensing renewal, suspension processes, bank guarantees, user-ID management in the computer system, an “in-out note” system, and limiting clearance to licensed customs agents only.

But with the implementation of the Act, the Federation charges that unnecessary fines have been introduced and administrative powers increased. Moreover, they say repeated alerts to the Department of Customs over chronic delays in clearance, server-system problems in the automation process, revenue payment issues, and quarantine-related complications have gone unaddressed.

The pen-down protest began Sunday at Birgunj Customs Office. On Monday the entire Bhairahawa Customs Office remained shut. On Tuesday, central Federation-member Umesh Ghimire announced that all customs offices across the country suspended services.

With clearances stalled, customs offices nationwide have directly felt the impact on revenue collection. According to Ghimire, if the issues created by the new law and other profession-related demands are not addressed, further protest programmes will be announced soon.