Kathmandu, January 10
The Tatopani border point between Nepal and China will be closed for three weeks beginning January 20, according to officials.
The Chinese side is repairing the bordering bridge, hence all trade activities will be halted for three weeks, informs the Tatopani Customs Office.
The office chief Lal Bahadur Khatri says a recent flood had damaged a section of the bridge, and the Chinese side wants to repair it. The section, which was already damaged by a landslide, had been hit by the flood.
As the date to close the bridge is approaching, the Nepali side has launched efforts to import the goods which are on the way as soon as possible. The Customs Office hopes its rush for more imports in a shorter period will result in a growth of revenues.
The office has collected Rs 180 million in the past three weeks, which is more than the total of the revenue generation for five months before that.
Meanwhile, Nepali traders have expressed their concerns over the closure as the trade activities via the border were earlier severely hit by the Covid-19 crisis throughout the past year.
