Officials obstruct business in Gelephu border (Economy)
Gelephu, January 24: The border business in Gelephu continues to face hindrance at the hands of police personnel deployed at the border gate and the custom officials since a week.
The officials have restricted the people from Dadghari, the border town of India, buying any goods from Bhutanese town Gelephu, thus indirectly putting hurdles for Bhutanese businessmen.
Dadghari buyers said the officials threatened to seize the goods they bought in Gelephu.
Officials also asserted that a closer watch is being kept at the imported goods but said they have not put any obstacles on purchase of Bhutanese products.
The people in small Dadghari market do retail business with good brought from Gelephu and Bagaigaon. Being the nearest market, they prefer Gelephu over Bagaigaon. But It is the Bhutanese products and other that are not available in Bagaigaon, which Dadgharia retailers search in Gelephu.
Goods like waiwai and Nepal soap are not available in Bagaigoan but they are popular among the customers in Dadghari. The restriction not only affected retail market in Dadghari but wholesale market in Gelephu as well.
The relation between the retailers and the border officials derailed after retailers stopped paying any bribes. In September, the issue came to surface. Bhutan News Service