The Cabinet Secretariat in a notification today announced that the Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) shall be waived for casual visitors for up to 24 hours in the border towns of Samtse, Phuentshogling, Gelephu, and Samdrup Jongkhar.
The waiver be implemented with effect from April 14, 2023, and will stay in place for 12 months.
The notification states that the waiver will only apply as long as the visitors do not travel beyond the designated zones of border towns.
The designated zone in Samtse is above Gurung Basti and at Rinchending Checkpost in Phuentshogling. In Gelephu, casual visitors cannot travel beyond Aipoli Bridge and in Samdrup Jongkhar, the designated zone is at Pinchinna.
The SDF will be applicable as usual for visitors who travel beyond the designated zones of the border towns.
Similarly, the notification also states that the Nu 10 user fee at the Phuentshogling Pedestrian Terminal will only be levied upon entry from April 14. The user fee will not be levied on exit.
The notification states that “from the experiences and lessons learnt during the pandemic, it became imperative for us to ascertain that the systems and operations on the ground evolve to serve the purpose with precision.”
The move comes after the government’s recent decision to keep the border gates open for 24 hours.
Sherub Dorji
