The Finance Committee of the House of Representatives has concluded that widespread irregularities persist in Nepal’s customs offices following its monitoring of checkpoints from Nepalgunj to Birgunj. The committee found customs offices plagued by mismanagement, open border issues, lack of inter-agency coordination, rising smuggling activities, and collusion to evade customs duties, the committee members shared during a meeting on Wednesday.

The monitoring was conducted from January 24 to 29, and the findings were presented and discussed during the committee session. During the discussion, lawmaker Padam Giri stated that border customs offices were full of obstacles, with most lacking essential infrastructure. He alleged that inspection machines were deliberately left nonfunctional, and that collusion among government employees, security personnel, customs agents, and traders was deeply entrenched.

Lawmaker Ganga Karki emphasized the ineffective use of technology in customs inspections and urged authorities to make customs offices technology-friendly. Similarly, lawmaker Rana Kumari Balampaki Magar raised concerns over the prolonged stranding of vehicles in customs yards, questioning the inefficiency in processing goods. Lawmaker Juli Kumari Mahato pointed out security lapses in customs operations.

Anjali Shrestha stated that customs staff were found tampering with inspection machines to disrupt operations. Committee member Surya Bahadur Thapa acknowledged some improvements in customs administration compared to previous years but noted that many problems still persist.

Member Ammar Bahadur Rayamajhi called for an increase in security personnel at checkpoints, while Tshiring Damdul Lama Bhote highlighted about large-scale smuggling of goods into Nepal through tax evasion. However, lawmaker Gyanendra Bahadur Karki argued that it would be unfair to claim that all customs employees acted with ill intent but stressed the need for further improvements in the system.

During the meeting, Inspector General of Nepal Police, Basanta Kunwar, reported that police had seized Rs 3 billion worth of smuggled goods in the current fiscal year. Likewise, Inspector General of the Armed Police Force, Raju Aryal, revealed that approximately 1,200 individuals were involved in smuggling activities along Nepal’s border regions. -- RSS