Kathmandu. The main festival business of the automobile market has been affected due to the disruption of various roads and trade points of the country due to the flood in Bhotekoshi of Rasuwa on August 26 and the subsequent incessant rains.
The new vehicles booked by the customers at the NADA Auto Show and Naima Nepal Mobility Expo are unable to be delivered on time. The main transit points for the import of vehicles from China have been closed due to floods and landslides, as well as the roads coming from India have been blocked.TAG_OPEN_div_95
Auto entrepreneurs have come under more pressure especially after the supply of electric vehicles (EVs) imported from China has come to a standstill. A large part of the EVs imported in Nepal come from China. Vehicles of various brands including BYD, MG, Dongfeng, Dipal-Changnan, O Moda & JECO, Xpeng have been imported from China.TAG_OPEN_div_93
Entrepreneurs say that it is difficult to bring new vehicles of these brands to Nepal due to the blockade of major trade points towards China. Not only vehicles but also the supply of spare parts and other essential materials has been affected due to the closure of the border point.
Chinese border points are closed. The situation of vehicles imported from India is also not easy. Auto entrepreneurs have said that it is difficult to bring vehicles and other goods coming from India to the valley due to the Bhotekoshi flood and landslides in Krishna Bhir and other places in Rasuwa.
According to Anupraj Baral, a member of the NADA Automobiles Association of Nepal, all the three major entry points for importing vehicles from China to Nepal are now affected. According to him, the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border point, which was devastated by the floods in Rasuwa, is not in a position to open immediately. The Korala border point of Jomsom has not been reopened due to the internal road, while the Tatopani border point is also closed.TAG_OPEN_div_87
“All three major checkpoints for vehicles coming from China are affected in Nepal. Kerung border point of Rasuwa is not in a position to be operational at present. Korala border point is also not operational due to the internal road. China has also closed Tatopani border point. ” said Baral.
TAG_OPEN_div_83 He said that if the government can open one of the alternative checkpoints or roads coming from China before Dashain, vehicles can be provided to the customers who have booked vehicles for NADA Auto Show and Dashain. “If the road can be opened before Dashain, customers who have ordered vehicles at NADA Auto Show can get vehicles. Otherwise, the auto business will come to a standstill,” he said.
He said that the closure of the auto business will not only cause a loss of billions of rupees to the businessmen but will also have a big impact on the revenue collection of the government. “When the business is closed, the traders lose billions of rupees. The revenue of the government also falls. Customers do not get vehicles on time in the market. Spare parts are also stopped at the checkpoint along with the vehicles,” Baral said.TAG_OPEN_div_81
He said that it is difficult to bring vehicles and goods coming from India to the Kathmandu Valley due to the road blockage in Krishnabhir and other places. However, he said that the problem on the Chinese side is comparatively big. Most of the brands imported from China are now stuck at the checkpoint. Auto dealers complain that customers are canceling their bookings due to non-availability of vehicles for a long time.TAG_OPEN_div_79
Baral said that the government should take diplomatic initiative with China to open the Tatopani border point as an alternative to the immediate problem. “The government should immediately open the Tatopani border point by taking diplomatic initiative with China. This can be an option to solve the current problem,” he said.TAG_OPEN_div_77
According to Raj Kumar Dulal, executive director of Nepal Automobile Importers and Manufacturers Association (NAIMA), the vehicles booked during the Dashain and Naima Mobility Expo have not been able to be imported due to the closure of most of the border points on the Chinese side.TAG_OPEN_div_75
According to him, the road coming from Korala checkpoint has been damaged in an area of about 11 kilometers and the problem could be resolved to some extent if it could be repaired immediately.TAG_OPEN_div_73
}’The road coming from Korala border point is in a dilapidated condition of about 11 km. Even if this road is built, the immediate problem will be solved. For this, Naima has also submitted a memorandum to the government,” Dulal told Nivesh News.
TAG_OPEN_div_69 He said that if the road is smooth, at least some of the vehicles booked at the Naima Expo can be made available to the customers. Although the government is working to open the checkpoint, Dulal said that the work should be expedited to facilitate the festival business.
}”The government has said that work is being done to open the border. But if the work here could be done on a ‘fast track’, it would be easier for the festival. The government should work by adding resources on this road,” he said.
Infrastructure Development Minister Sunil Lamsal is also said to be taking initiatives for the operation of Tatopani border point. Entrepreneurs are hopeful that if the border point is reopened before Dashain, it will provide some relief to the auto market.TAG_OPEN_div_65
Minister for Infrastructure Development Sunil Lamsal and Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Wang Maoming held a meeting at Singha Durbar on Friday. During the meeting, Minister Lamsal urged the Chinese government for necessary support for the reconstruction and development of flood-damaged infrastructures in Rasuwa, reopening of Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border point, easy movement of around 6 lakh Nepali citizens with the state and effective operation of Korala and Tatopani border points.TAG_OPEN_div_63
Stating that Rasuwagadhi, the main trade transit point of Nepal, has been closed due to the flooding in the Bhotekoshi river, Minister Lamsal said that the government was working to provide relief to the locals by making arrangements of temporary roads and transportation from the old places for the time-being.TAG_OPEN_div_61
During the meeting, Chinese Ambassador Wang Maoming said that China was ready to provide all possible support to Nepal as a good friend and neighbor of Nepal. He said that a special study should be carried out for the reconstruction and operation of Rasuwagadhi border point, which is the main trade center of Nepal, and long-term and effective infrastructure should be built.TAG_OPEN_div_59
Saying the Chinese government was positive regarding the operation of Korala and Tatopani transit points, Ambassador Wang expressed commitment for necessary coordination and cooperation if the Nepal government sends a special proposal for the reconstruction and operation of Rasuwagadhi transit point.TAG_OPEN_div_57
Customers excited, businessmen disappointed
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Customers had booked vehicles enthusiastically at the Nepal Mobility Expo in Naima. However, the auto entrepreneurs are now under pressure as they could not provide vehicles according to the booking. According to Dulal, although some companies are selling vehicles from the stock already brought to Nepal, now the stock of most of the companies has also started running out.
}’Customers had booked vehicles at the Naima Expo with great enthusiasm. However, companies are not in a position to give vehicles to customers. Some companies are selling vehicles that have been brought in stock. But now the stock is also exhausted,” he said. He said that if import and transportation are not easy for a long time, there is a risk that the auto market will come to a standstill.
Dashain and Tihar are considered as the main sales season of the automobile business in Nepal. Targeting the high demand during this time, companies and dealers took a large number of bookings through NADA Auto Show and Naima Nepal Mobility Expo. “During the NADA Auto Show, there was a flood in Bhotekoshi of Rasuwa. Due to which most of the vehicles brought for the show were also washed away. It is not easy to bring the remaining vehicles. ” says a businessman.TAG_OPEN_div_50
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