GILGIT, May 31: Around 60 Chinese trucks loaded with import goods from Xingiang have been awaiting clearance for two months at the Sost border because of tussle over the tariffs between the officials and traders, informed sources told Dawn on Wednesday.

The sources said that due to differences over the levying of the customs duty on imported goods and additional taxes, the importers and officials could not reach any agreement that led to a deadlock in the border trade. The importers have refused to pay the additional taxes and full customs duty while the officials are adamant to enforce the duties and taxes.

The goods from the Chinese trucks could not be offloaded for last two months and importers have to pay Rs5,000 fare for each day, the sources said.

The traders said that the imposition of new taxes and full customs duties has dealt a blow to the border trade. The overall trade activities in Northern Areas have been devastated as a result of which thousands of people have been rendered jobless and become defaulters of the financial institutions, they said.

They said a large number of small traders could not visit China this year because the Chinese government has set the condition to produce at least $3,500 for the traders before entering its territory.

The official sources elaborated that they had imposed the full customs duties and other taxes on the Chinese goods to save the domestic industries and to curb the smuggling activities. The traders, however, contended that the smugglers would boost their activities to evade the taxes.

The members of Northern Areas Chamber of Commerce and Industry have appealed to the federal commerce minister to reduce customs tariff and abolish additional taxes for the remote region.

STUDENTS DEMAND: The students of both the information technology centres here have boycotted the classes in protest against the alleged impudent attitude of an associate professor.