Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista gives Siliguri traders hope of meeting Union minister Jaishankar

 The crisis being faced by Panitanki traders is the dearth of buyers in the local market since Nepal’s decision last month to impose duty on any item bought from India and taken back to the country

Darjeeling MP Raju Bista visits Panitanki on the India-Nepal border on Sunday: Telegraph picture

Bireswar Banerjee, TT, Siliguri, 14.08.23 :  Traders of Panitanki, the locality in Siliguri sub-division on the India-Nepal border, will soon meet S. Jaishankar, the Union external affairs minister, and apprise him about their crisis since mid-July, a trade outfit functionary said on Sunday.

The crisis being faced by Panitanki traders is the dearth of buyers in the local market because of Nepal’s decision last month to impose duty on any item bought from India and taken back to the country.

Panitanki traders relied on customers from Nepal, who because of the open border treaty between the two countries, would simply enter India and buy items they needed. Prior to the new rule, Nepal imposed duty on goods bought from India in commercial quantities only, which did not affect Panitanki traders.

On Sunday afternoon, Raju Bista, the BJP MP of Darjeeling went to Panitanki and met representatives of Panitanki Byabsayee Samiti, the local trade body, and assured them of getting an appointment with Jaishankar.

“The MP has assured us that he will fix an appointment of the Union minister for external affairs in Delhi. Our four-member delegation will apprise the Union minister how we are facing losses at the market since the Nepal government is charging duty on Indian commodities for almost a month now,” said Dipak Chakraborty, joint secretary of the trade body.

Bista, sources said, will reach Delhi on Tuesday and is then slated to try and get the appointment for next week.

The Panitanki market, which has around 1,000 traders, mostly retailers who sell various household products, groceries and items of daily use, is facing the worst crisis now after the pandemic.

For years now, hundreds of people from eastern Nepal would cross the border through the Mechi river bridge and visit Panitanki market to buy various items.

A rough estimation by the traders shows that around 25,000 buyers from the neighbouring country used to visit the market every day, which had a daily turnover of around Rs 2.5 crore.

“However, since July 17, Nepal is charging duty on any item costing over Rs 100. So buyers from Nepal have almost stopped coming,” said a trader.

As a result, the daily turnover has witnessed a drastic drop to Rs 2 lakh daily.

Chakraborty said Bista told them that he would request the Union minister to talk with the Nepal government for all possible measures so that people from Nepal resume shopping from the Panitanki market.

“Panitanki market gives livelihood to thousands, including the traders, their employees, porters, drivers who run vehicles between India and Nepal and many more. These people are all suffering now as there is no income. The issue must be resolved through talks between both countries,” said a senior trader.