The amount of goods seized by the customs offices indicate that large scale smuggling of goods along the border areas is yet to decline despite the fact that the Department of Customs (DoC) has beefed up vigil and introduced other measures to discourage the unlawful act. So far, goods worth Rs 30.94 million have been confiscated in the first eight months of the current fiscal year and several other offices are yet to report to the DoC. The rise in the volume of confiscated goods could also be attributed to enhanced border patrolling on the one hand and the DoC’s improved performance on the other. Goods confiscation in large amount is an indication of thriving black market. Going by the existing trend, the DoC is likely to register a bigger success in goods seizure by the end of this fiscal year.

There has never been any doubt regarding smuggling along the border. Black market is an undeniable “second economy” that has been supported through smuggling for decades along the international border. It is unlikely to stop anytime soon. But as unaccounted goods exchange hands, the government is denied hefty revenue it would otherwise have pocketed if the merchandise had passed through legitimate channels. Additionally, some of the smuggled items like narcotics are dubious. Unauthorised trading of goods is the only means of livelihood for many who are engaged in it. In fact, rackets have thrived in different sections of the border hand-in-glove with custom officials. That makes it all the more difficult for the DoC to bust smuggling rackets to ensure transparent and legitimate trade. Despite all the bickering about pricing pattern, petroleum products are still the most smuggled commodities due to price disparity on either side of the Indo-Nepal border.

It is impossible to stop smuggling thanks to the common open border. But now that the new measures have been adopted and the DoC has been upping its ante, positive outcome is expected. The revenue returns custom offices have shown in the last few years indicated that the drive has been quite effective. Much, however, remains to be done to plug the loopholes in the administrative and monitoring segments of the DoC to minimise the practice. The authorities must find out what allows smuggling and why it continues to thrive despite efforts to contain it.