KATHMANDU, AUGUST 20
The Department of Immigration has issued a letter to both the Immigration Department and the District Administration Office in Rasuwa, instructing them to facilitate truck drivers transporting containers to Kyirong, China, via the Rasuwagadhi border in acquiring entry permits to China.
The guideline for entering China via the Rasuwagadhi border was approved during a Cabinet meeting on September 11, 2019. However, as truck drivers and co-drivers haven't received their entry permits, the Independent Transport Workers' Association of Nepal (ITWAN), the Federation of Truck Transport Entrepreneurs (FTTE), and Nepal Truck Container Dhuwani Sewa have been raising concerns with the relevant authorities.
The representatives of the transport entrepreneurs have held multiple discussions with the Director General of the Immigration Department Jhalakram Adhikari since June and requested to resolve the issue. The department then held a discussion with the second secretary of the Chinese Embassy in Nepal and brought the matter to the attention of the Chinese Customs Authority. After China was positive about this matter, DG Adhikari informed that a letter was sent to concerned authorities in the Kyirong-Rasuwa border.
In 2019, the DoI introduced the provision of four types of entry permits - for drivers, workers, entrepreneurs, and one-day permits. However, drivers, co-drivers, and entrepreneurs haven't obtained China entry permits yet.
With procedures halted, 966 Kathmandu truck drivers have had to travel 132 km to Timure in Rasuwagadhi. They would then seek assistance from Rasuwa district residents in Kyiong, 24 km away, to transport the cargo for the remaining distance, coughing up as much as Rs 15,000.
Arjun Bahadur Sapkota, president of Nepal Truck Container Dhuwani Sewa, expressed optimism that the days of having to entrust precious cargo to strangers at a high cost for transport to Kyirong will soon come to an end.
Durga Bahadur Shrestha, president of ITWAN, stated that the implementation of this decision will bring relief to approximately 3,000 workers involved in transporting goods through Rasuwa and Tatopani crossings.
A version of this article appears in the print on August 21, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
