October 6: Pristine Valley Dry Port Pvt Ltd, the operator of Birgunj Dry Port, has taken the responsibility of loading and unloading of goods at Birgunj Dry Port. Pristine Valley Dry Port Pvt. Ltd. has started loading and unloading cargo arriving at the port from Monday, October 5.

Earlier, the importers had been paying additional amount for the loaders  even after paying the terminal service charge to the operator. "From now on, customers will not have to pay extra for labor charge,” informed  Aditya Raya, chief executive of Pristine Valley Dry Port. “Likewise, the port itself will manage the workers for loading and unloading the cargo,” he added.

The importer pays the port operator Rs 109 per metric ton for the cargo arriving at the dry port. Likewise, they pay Rs 150 for loading and unloading of the cargo additionally. Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Committee (NITDB) stated that such a contract was against the agreement and had asked Pristine for clarification.

As per the agreement, the port operator should have charged a terminal service fee of Rs 246. But Pristine had lowered the fare because the importers had to pay additional charge to the workers for loading and unloading of goods.