PAN stalled border trade in Nathu La pass

Gangtok, Jul 15: Since the reopening of Nathu La for border trade between India and China on July 6, no Indian business has been traded so far through this route.

"Not that the businessmen are not interested but because they do not possess the mandatory importer-exporter code which can be issued only against a Permanet Account Number (PAN) or PAN card", said a local businessman.

No Sikkimese has such PAN card as the state is governed by its own tax laws-Income Tax Manual of 1948. The direct income tax, though extended to the state in 1989, was yet to be implemented.

Earlier opposition Congress time and again had pointed out that no international trade could be possible without a PAN but no body gave any importance to it.

The problem came to fore when two traders- A K Gupta and S Agarwal- were not allowed by the Customs department to take their goods like rice, flour and spices to the border and asked to return with their consignment a couple of days back as they did not have the required code number.

Concerned over the issue the Central Executive Committee, the highest policy making body of the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front under the Chaimanship of its President and state Chief Minister Pawan Chamling, deliberated over the issue for more than eight hours yesterday. The meeting was attened by all its 360 members.

Mr B B Gooroong, Political advisor to Chief Minister said that the meeting suggested the government to constitute a committee to take up the problems faced by the traders in the trade with the central government and find a solution at the earliest.

Mr Gooroong said no body visualised the problem while giving final touches to the border trade but ''We will soon write to the Central government to find a solution to the problem pending the implementation of the income tax in the state.'' Sikkim Director of Commerce and Inustries Department S P Subba said the problem was a minor one and could have been solved had the Customs department raised the issue earlier.

The meeting which discussed the border trade threadbare also decided to urge the government to open school to teach Chinese and Tibetan languages after the traders pointed out that they faced a lot of problem in communicating with their counterparts in China.

UNI