Kathmandu. After the tightening of the Jamunaha border point in Nepalgunj, the crowd of Nepali shoppers shopping in the Indian border market Rupaidiha has decreased this time. As big festivals like Dashain and Tihar are approaching, there was no place to set foot in Rupaidiha, the border Indian market of Banke in the past years. A large number of Nepali consumers used to cross the border daily through Jamunaha border to buy new Dashain clothes and household essentials. This time, the old vibrancy and hustle and bustle of Rupaidiha market has disappeared.

Krishna Prasad Shrestha, former president of Nepalgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the main reason behind the decrease in the number of Nepalis in the Indian border is the strict border and the new rules related to customs.

Goods worth more than Rs 100 were banned from Nepalgunj customs point from last April without customs duty. The limit has been increased to Rs 500 for now.

The shops in Rupaidiha, which used to be full of Nepali customers during the festivals of the previous year, are deserted this time. Srijana Thapa of Nepalgunj-21 said that the number of people going across the border has decreased due to checking and long queues on both sides.

Consumers have stopped going to Rupaidiha due to the provision of customs check of goods worth more than Rs 500. He said that the Rupaidiha market is becoming deserted due to the decrease in the movement of Nepali consumers.

Crowd has increased in the shopping malls of Nepalgunj with the decrease in the number of customers going to the Rupaidiha market across the border. Consumer rights activist Prabhat Kumar Thakuri said that the attraction of Nepali consumers has increased in the Bhatbhateni and Western Mart super stores of Nepalgunj.

He said that the traders and chambers of commerce here should take initiative to create an environment conducive for the consumers who have been stopped from going across the border due to the tightening of customs duty. He suggested that traders should pay attention to market monitoring to discourage price hike and shortage of goods in the Nepali market during the festive season.

Chiranjivi Oli, president of Nepalgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that although the number of people going to the Indian market for shopping has decreased, the purchase of goods in the local market has not increased in the same proportion. According to him, the smuggling is estimated to have decreased compared to the past. Although the main border points are tightened, it is necessary to increase surveillance in these areas to prevent smuggling from the inner border due to the open border.