HUMLA, Jan 13: Extreme cold in the high Himalayan region has forced the Yari Customs Office at Hilsa to shut down for three months, effectively halting cross-border trade with China’s Taklakot.
Trade activities came to a standstill after the movement of goods and traders from Taklakot stopped from the beginning from mid-December. As a result, the Yari Customs Office was closed from the fourth week of December, according to office chief Ramraj Jaisi. Customs staff have since been relocated to the contact office at the district headquarters in Simkot.
Yari customs office reopens after four months
Jaisi said the decision was taken in coordination with the Department of Customs after imports from Taklakot ceased. Although there has been no fresh snowfall this winter, heavy snow that fell on the Nara road section between mid-October and mid-November last year froze into thick ice, blocking the road and disrupting transportation services. This led to a complete halt in imports from the Chinese side.
With no trade taking place, staff were shifted to Simkot rather than remaining idle at the Hilsa office. Jaisi said the Chinese side of the border remains open, and operations at the Yari border point are expected to resume once staff return to the customs office in the fourth week of March.
Despite the seasonal shutdown, the Yari Customs Office has recorded improved revenue collection. Since mid-July to mid-August, it has collected Rs 1.8 million in revenue—double the amount collected during the same period last year, Jaisi added.
