With the supply of essential commodities being affected by disturbances at major custom points in the southern plains, the government has requested the Chinese government to reopen trade routes with the northern neighbour that have remained out of operation following the April 25 earthquake.

Officials from the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies (MoCS) held talks with Chinese Embassy officials on Wednesday where they requested Chinese assistance for an early reopening of two custom points—Tatopani and Rasuwagadhi.

“With Dashain festival around the corner, we have requested the northern neighbour to resume border operation as soon as possible,” said Naindra Prasad Upadhyaya, secretary at the ministry. He added that the Chinese authorities had responded positively.

The Rasuwagadhi route had only come to formal operation in December 2014. Since the earthquake hit the country five months ago, the trade routes of Barabise-Tatopani-Khasa and Nuwakot-Rasuwagadhi-Kerung have remained closed.

Though a joint team of Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and the Chinese Armed Police Force cleared the Barhabise-Tatopani segment of Araniko Highway, traffic movement on the main arterial road connecting China and Nepal has been far from normal.

Secretary Upadhyaya said there were slim chances of the Khasa trade route being opened before the upcoming festivals. “However, import via Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border is likely to resume soon,” he said.

According to the ministry, the Chinese government has been undertaking road repair on their side of the border.

“We are ready to open the border as soon as the Chinese side completes works on their end.”

Upadhyaya said a meeting of the Central Monitoring Committee on Thursday also decided to ask the Chinese side for speedy road repair in Kerung. The meeting also decided to coordinate with the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport to clear roadblocks on the Araniko Highway in order to request the Chinese side to reopen the Tatopani customs.

The initiative comes at the time when supplies from India have been affected by the ongoing strikes in the Tarai for the past 40 days. In addition, tighter customs clearance and other delays from the Indian side after the promulgation of constitution have magnified the problem.

The current food stock will last two months, according to the ministry. The problem could be severe unless supply resumes soon. Nepal imports goods, including readymade garment, footwear, cosmetics, machinery parts and hardware, fruits and electronics, from China.