webmaster
30th September 2008, 07:06 AM
The airport duty free is closed and they are checking to be sure you do not bring more than one bottle of booze into the country.
Customs office located inside the Tribhuvan International Airport has seized 297 bottles of liquor the passengers were carrying illegally in a week. TIA began to enforce Baggage Rule 2002 strictly after Finance Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai vowed to reform revenue administration in his budgetary speech.
The TIA seized 200 bottles in the first two days when it began to enforce the rules strictly but subsequently the number of passengers bringing more than one bottle of duty-free liquor decreased, according to TIA customs officer Nirad Regmi.
As per Baggage Rule, each passenger is allowed to bring one litre of duty-free liquor but since that rule was not strictly enforced in the past, passengers with up to three bottles
were let off, said a TIA source.
“These bottles are for personal consumption. They bring them out of ignorance of the law,”
said Regmi, adding the publicity of government crackdown would deter the passengers from bringing more than one litre of duty-free alcohol. Even the airlines have begun alerting the passengers not to buy more than one bottle of duty-free alcohol, according to Regmi.
According to TIA estimate, seven per cent passengers, mostly Nepalis, bring duty-free alcohol. The TIA officials often have a tough time dealing with passengers carrying more than one bottle.
“A passenger almost hit our staffer today with a bottle,” Regmi said, adding, “It is difficult to deal with some people as they are under the influence of liquor they imbibe during the flight,” Regmi said.
Customs office located inside the Tribhuvan International Airport has seized 297 bottles of liquor the passengers were carrying illegally in a week. TIA began to enforce Baggage Rule 2002 strictly after Finance Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai vowed to reform revenue administration in his budgetary speech.
The TIA seized 200 bottles in the first two days when it began to enforce the rules strictly but subsequently the number of passengers bringing more than one bottle of duty-free liquor decreased, according to TIA customs officer Nirad Regmi.
As per Baggage Rule, each passenger is allowed to bring one litre of duty-free liquor but since that rule was not strictly enforced in the past, passengers with up to three bottles
were let off, said a TIA source.
“These bottles are for personal consumption. They bring them out of ignorance of the law,”
said Regmi, adding the publicity of government crackdown would deter the passengers from bringing more than one litre of duty-free alcohol. Even the airlines have begun alerting the passengers not to buy more than one bottle of duty-free alcohol, according to Regmi.
According to TIA estimate, seven per cent passengers, mostly Nepalis, bring duty-free alcohol. The TIA officials often have a tough time dealing with passengers carrying more than one bottle.
“A passenger almost hit our staffer today with a bottle,” Regmi said, adding, “It is difficult to deal with some people as they are under the influence of liquor they imbibe during the flight,” Regmi said.