BIRGUNJ, March 28: Cargo clearance process at the Kolkata port of India is getting delayed as port authorities are thoroughly scanning foreign cargoes coming via the port on the request of Indian intelligence agencies.
The process affected movement of Nepal-bound cargoes for three days.
Indian port authorities are currently inspecting cargoes that arrived in the port between March 1 and 17. “Indian authorities are clearing the cargoes only after inspecting it thoroughly. Nepali cargoes were stopped for three days. They agreed to release Nepali cargoes after we held talks with them. Everything is normal now” Nepali Consular General in Kolkata, Ek Narayan Aryal, said. “Sources informed us that thorough inspection was carried out following a tip-off that large consignment of fake Indian currency was being imported to Nepal,” he added.
According to container handling agents (CHA) of Kolkata port, the inspection was conducted on the initiation of Indian intelligence agencies.
“They had tightened the port after receiving some special information. Cargoes were released only after completing scanning process. Nepali containers faced the problem for three to four days,” Bijay Saraogi, the convener of Finance and Supply Committee under the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), said. Department of Revenue Investigation of India and Kolkata Port customs had conducted the scanning of cargoes, he added.
Former President of Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Ganesh Lath said that Nepali cargos were cleared only after undergoing a thorough scanning. “Not only Nepali cargoes, port authority thoroughly scanned all the cargoes coming at the Kolkata port,” he added.
Likewise, Niraj Kumar Jaiswal, deputy consul general at the Consulate General of India in Birgunj, said security checking should be taken normally. “We have not been informed of any specific decisions taken by the Indian authorities,” he added.
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