Tighter customs rules disrupt everyday life

Patna: For generations, the open India-Nepal border has been more than a geopolitical line. It has been a lifeline — a corridor of marriages, markets and everyday movement where people crossed over almost as naturally as they visited neighbouring villages. But along Bihar’s border districts, a stricter enforcement of Nepal’s customs rules is beginning to alter that rhythm.

From Madhubani and Sitamarhi to East Champaran and Araria, traders, transporters and families say routine cross-border life has become slower, costlier and more uncertain.

Under an existing Nepali provision now being implemented more rigorously, citizens carrying goods from India worth more than NPR 100, around Rs 63, are required to pay customs duty. Though the rule was already in force, border residents said enforcement has tightened sharply since April. Depending on the category of goods, duties can range from 5% to 80%, with value-added tax imposed in many cases.

In towns like Jaynagar in Madhubani district, the impact is visible in thinning crowds and quieter marketplaces. For decades, local markets survived on the steady footfall of Nepali buyers who crossed the border daily for groceries, clothes, medicines, utensils and packaged food items sold at comparatively lower prices.

Now, traders say many shoppers are returning empty-handed.

Bimal Maskara, secretary of Nav Jeevan Charitable Trust, said the stricter implementation has created difficulties for ordinary people in Nepal while simultaneously hurting small businesses on the Indian side.

He said border markets had long depended on Nepali customers and the sudden tightening had disturbed that fragile economic balance.

Anil Bairoliya, secretary of the Jaynagar Chamber of Commerce, said even modest household purchases were now attracting scrutiny and duty checks, making everyday shopping trips financially impractical for many families.

He said inspections by Nepal’s Armed Police Force and customs officials had become significantly more rigorous, with baggage checks and repeated announcements warning travellers about taxable goods.

Residents said the enforcement is no longer restricted to commercial consignments. Groceries, fruits, snacks, clothes and household essentials carried for personal use are also being checked more closely. Locals added vehicle movement near crossing points has become more tightly regulated, with authorities insisting on permits and documents even for residents living close to the frontier.

In Sitamarhi district, the impact is spilling beyond trade into social traditions and family customs.

Rakesh Kumar Singh from Malahi village under Sursand block said gifts exchanged during marriages were now becoming difficult to transport across the border. He cited the example of a motorcycle gifted to a newly married couple, which the family is considering selling at a loss because of complications in taking it into Nepal for regular use.

The anxiety is also being felt among families divided by the border but united through marriage ties.

Sanjib Kumar Jha from Mirchaiya village in Nepal’s Sirha district said women married in India had become hesitant to carry gifts while visiting their parents in Nepal due to fear of Bhansar, the local term for customs duty.

Further east, in Raxaul of East Champaran district, transporters reported delays in cargo movement as stricter inspections created long queues of trucks near the border. Several vehicles carrying products without proper maximum retail price markings were reportedly stranded.

In Jogbani of Araria district, residents questioned the practicality of the low duty-free threshold.

Ashok Sah, a resident of Jogbani municipal area, said the rule was burdensome for communities dependent on daily cross-border movement for basic necessities.

Even as Nepali authorities describe the move as enforcement of a pre-existing law aimed at curbing informal trade and smuggling, traders on the Indian side fear the tightening is slowly changing the character of one of South Asia’s most socially connected borders.

(With inputs from C S Jha Azad in Madhubani, Shyam Kishore Singh in Sitamarhi, L P Nayak in Araria and C B Pandey in Motihari)