Kathmandu, 14 September (H.S.): Commercial activity has increased significantly over the past two weeks at the Korala-Liji border point in Mustang district, which is being used as an alternative trade route between Nepal and China.

The development follows the complete closure of the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border crossing, a major Nepal-China trade route, since August 26 due to flooding. Imports from China are now increasingly being routed through the Korala crossing. China has also not yet reopened the Tatopani border point, leaving traders with limited options for conducting bilateral trade.

Following the floods in Rasuwa, the volume of goods entering Nepal from China through Mustang has increased considerably. The Mustang Customs Office is now processing and clearing hundreds of cargo vehicles on a regular basis. Officials said the crossing is handling not only imported goods but also electric vehicles.

Mustang Customs Chief Bidur Chudal said around 60 to 70 vehicles are currently being processed and cleared through customs each day. He said most of the containers are carrying goods imported ahead of the Dashain festival. Industrial raw materials and some fruits are also being brought into Nepal through the crossing.

A total of 482 containers have so far been processed through the Mustang Customs Office. Before August 26, only 133 containers had been cleared through the Korala crossing between January and August 10. Following the floods, however, customs authorities have already processed an additional 349 containers.

The closure of the Rasuwagadhi crossing has also redirected electric vehicle imports through Mustang. According to Chudal, 757 electric vehicles have so far been cleared by Mustang Customs. Before the floods, only 163 electric vehicles had undergone customs clearance. Since then, another 594 EVs have been processed.

Chudal said approximately 300 to 400 electric vehicles are still at the border, with customs clearance pending for some of them. With the Tatopani crossing also remaining closed, pressure on the Mustang route for EV imports is expected to continue in the coming days.

Commercial activity at the Mustang crossing has therefore increased substantially, with the customs office focusing on managing the growing volume of vehicles and cargo.

The closure of Rasuwagadhi has also resulted in a significant rise in revenue collection at the Mustang Customs Office. According to Chudal, the office had collected 1.87 billion Nepali rupees by Saturday. With an additional 130 million rupees collected on Sunday, total revenue has reached approximately 2 billion rupees.

In comparison, the Mustang Customs Office collected only around 530 million rupees between January and August 26. The increased use of Korala as an alternative trade route following the floods has therefore led to a sharp rise in revenue collection within a relatively short period.

With the Rasuwagadhi border crossing remaining closed because of the floods, reliance on the Mustang route has increased considerably. Although less than two months have passed since the alternative route began handling the additional trade pressure, the government has already collected nearly one-quarter of its annual revenue target through the Mustang Customs Office.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar