Army mobilisation curbs cross-border smuggling

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BIRGUNJ, March 19 - Cross border smuggling in Birgunj, the chief customs point of the country, has dived, following the recent deployment of the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) personnel.

All goods that previously found its way in the Nepalese markets illegally, dodging the customs, have begun to flow in through the proper channels. After the mobilisation of the RNA, new names have entered the list of items imported from India. They include dry cells, cardamom and cumin, among others.

According to Shyam Khadka, and official at the Birgunj Customs, dry cells are liable to pay 32 per cent customs duty. However, prior to the mobilisation of the army, all dry cells entered Nepal through illegal channels. Within the past five days, 4 consignments of dry cell entered Nepal through the Customs, he said.

Officials at the Customs Office informed The Kathmandu Post that the RNA, in the past five days, has captured 5 Maruti jeeps, one dozen bicycles and 12 sacks of fertilizers. Of those apprehended include Hiralal Shah, Binod Shah and Bhikari Prasad, all from Bara, Dharmanagar VDC.

The three have been released on bail of Rs 10,000 each, and investigations are under way, said Ishwor Pokhqrel, Chief of the Birgunj Customs. The Customs Office has also issued a notice to claim rights over the Maruti jeeps within 15 days.

The RNA has also begun to raid godowns of businessmen, suspected of hoarding smuggled goods. So far, the Army has carried out raids in half a dozen godowns.

Meanwhile, the Army, on the very first day of its mobilisation in the northern customs point of Tatopani, confiscated goods worth Rs 8 million.

According to our correspondent from Kakarvitta, the major customs point of the Mechi Zone, Army has been mobilised since Monday. Thirty Army personnel have been deployed to check illegal flow of goods across borders. Similarly, an equal number of RNA personnel have been mobilised in Bhairahawa, according to our Bhairahawa based correspondent.

Task force formed to study pashmina crisis

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KATHMANDU, March 19 - Nepal Pashmina Industry Association (NPIA) has formed a five-member task force to study the present crisis seen in the industry, following the warnings of various Royal Nepalese Consular Generals abroad.

The talk force will submit its recommendations to the government. They had warned the pashmina entrepreneurs of degrading quality of pashmina products, which has resulted in a stagnation of its flow to international markets in the recent months.

Talking to The Kathmandu Post, Pushpa Man Shrestha, member of the NPIA said that the Association’s meeting on Sunday formed the task force under the convenorship of Shankar Pandey, Vice-President of the Association.

The task force will hold necessary discussions regarding the abrupt slowdown in the pashmina export with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Export Promotion Committee, Department of Commerce, Nepal Chamber of Commerce, Handicraft Association Nepal and other concerned bodies.

The consular generals had warned the Nepalese pashmina entrepreneurs of mixing woollen yarn in pashmina products, which not only brought down the export volume but also put a question mark on the quality of those products. Entrepreneurs in the meeting expressed the views that if necessary precaution were taken to control the quality of pashmina products, the situation would not be so alarming as perceived now.

As there is growing demand for woolen products in the western market, businessmen can supply those items. But they should not be supplied as pashmina products. Whether a product is a woollen or pashmina, it should be defined while exporting, they stressed.

They also decided to ask help from the National Bureau of Standard and Metrology (NBSM) for providing standard mark to pashmina products and said that the Bureau was also positive on it, said Shrestha.

Channel Nepal to be launched in mid-April

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KATHMANDU, March 19 - Space Time Network (P.) Ltd. (STNPL) is to start test transmission of Channel Nepal, the first private sector satellite channel, from 14 April 2001, the Nepali New Year day.

The channel, which will initially last for four hours, will be changed into a full-fledged 24-hour entertainment channel within the next four to five months, said Jamim Shah, Managing Director of STNPL, talking at a press conference here today.

"Most of the programs in the channel will be in Nepali and the initial target, among others, is to attract 7 million viewers within Nepal," he said.

On the same occasion, Bahadur Krishna Tamrakar, Managing Director of Channel Nepal, said that the transmission will cover 52 countries from Asia. The plan is to go globally in the later periods, he said.

At the conference, it was informed that Channel Nepal, with investments of over Rs 200 million, has the technical cooperation of Thai Com, a Bangkok based company. In addition, the channel has obtained technical manpower from India, and will provide training to its employees from professional technical crew from units such as Music Television (MTV).

Army in Biratnagar Customs likely

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Biratnagar, March 19 - In a bid to curb cross border smuggling, Biratnagar Customs Office is preparing to deploy Royal Nepal Army personnel from the last week of March.

The government has already deployed army in Birgunj and Tatopani Customs in the first phase of the implementation of the government’s recent decision to gradually mobilise army at different customs to curb cross-border smuggling.

Talking to The Kathmandu Post, Madav Raj Pokharel, Chief of Biratnagar Customs Office, said that a 40 Army personnel will look after the points of entry stretching east and west of the Customs office.

The mobile team under the supervision of the Custom office, and headed by an army captain, will be empowered to check trucks carrying goods, and if suspected, can carry out raids in various godowns of the city area, including those of the Customs Office.

"Mobilisation of the army will discourage people to carry goods in small packages, that culminated to a considerable amount," said Pokharel. These people used to be directed by smugglers. Biratnagar Customs stands third in terms of revenue generation after Birgunj and Bhairahawa Customs. Biratnagar Customs raised a total of Rs 1.12 billion in revenue in the last fiscal year. The projected collection for the current fiscal year is Rs 1.43 billion.

AEFL shares over-subscribed

KATHMANDU (PR) - Shares of Alpic Everest Finance Limited (AEFL) were oversubcribed by over 44 times, states an AEFL press release issued here today.

According to the release, a total of 32,732 applicants applied for 2,105,645 share units out of the public issue of 47,500 units. The demand for the amount of Rs 210,583,500 was received at Rs 100 per share unit and Rs 105,291,750 were received as call money at Rs 50 per share, adds the release.

The shares were sold from February 5 to 13 with Nepal Finance & Savings Company Limited as the issue Manager. Five per cent of the total public issue is secured for the company’s staff, concludes the release.

Savings cooperative holds AGM

KATHMANDU (PR) - The sixth Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Shahayogi Savings and Credit Co-operative Society Ltd. concluded here today.

The meeting was inaugurated by Ram Chandra Nanabasti, Member, National Co-operative Development Board, states a press release issued by the cooperative here today.

TOURGAN New executive committee

KATHMANDU (PR) - A recently held election of Tourist Guide Association of Nepal (TOURGAN) has unanimously re-elected Bishnu Gyawali and Madhav Man Rajbhandhari as President and General Secretary of the association respectively.

According to a TOURGAN press release received here Sunday, the meeting also elected Pradeep Raj Tuladhar and Hare Ram Baral as First and Second Vice-President respectively. Rajan Prasad Khanal, Rajendra Man Dangol and Shanker Prasad Lamsal have been elected as the members, the release added.