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Indian team expected in Nepal for railway deal
Wednesday, 05 February 2003, 20:30 IST
KATHMANDU: An Indian delegation is visiting here next week for the third round of talks on inking a railway agreement with India.
The earlier two rounds were held in Kathmandu and New Delhi.
The Nepali team, headed by Purushottam Ojha, joint secretary at the ministry of industry, commerce and supplies, will try to enhance business and trade ties.
Nepali entrepreneurs have been urging a one-time lock system for a long time, saying that consignments sent to Nepal from India should be checked by customs only once at Kolkata port, after which they should arrive intact at the inland clearance depot in Nepal's Birganj.
This, they say, would simplify customs procedures, cut down transport costs and improve exports as well as imports.
At present, such consignments undergo a second round of customs inspection at Raxaul, near the Nepali border.
The inland clearance depot at Birganj, constructed nearly two years ago, is reportedly getting much less than the volume of consignments it can handle because of the delay and higher operational costs incurred by twin inspections.
Nepal's businessmen say the present procedure goes against the spirit of the Nepal-India Trade Treaty.
In 2001, the joint economic council of Nepal and India had agreed to wind up the agreement at the earliest. The second round of talks in New Delhi last September agreed on operational matters broadly.
Clinching the agreement would be timely for both the countries with there being talk of starting a bus service from New Delhi to Kathmandu.
The daily Nepal Samacharpatra reported that Nepal's transport management department planned to start operating bus services between the two capitals in three months.
Source: IANS
Source: IANS