Nearly 1,000 Nepal-bound cargo containers have been stranded at India’s Kolkata port after one of the railway tracks at the port that links Birgunj’s Sirsiya Dry Port was damaged some two weeks ago.

Also, 300 containers laden with export goods have been stuck at Sirsiya Dry Port, according to Pradip Kedia, president of Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 

Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR), an Indian government undertaking that handles Nepal’s railway freight, has requested to shift the containers from Sirsiya Dry Port, which is likely to result in additional costs for Nepali traders. 

Traders have to pay at least IRs4,400 per container in service charge to shift the containers.

Kedia also complained about poor service at the Kolkata port. “It takes at least 16 hours to load 90 containers on a railway rack,” he said. 

Traders said frequent problems on the railway track has been affecting their businesses. Bishnu Kanta Chaudhary, CEO of Himalayan Terminal, which manages the Sirsiya Inland Container Depot (ICD) or Dry Port in Birgunj, said Kolkata port officials have informed the track will be repaired by Thursday.