The parliamentary Finance Committee has asked the government to resolve the issue of the undeclared blockade of Nepal by India through political and diplomatic initiatives.  

“The unannounced blockade has created obstructions to the free flow of goods through several customs points across the country. This has led to shortages of essential commodities,” the committee said Friday. “If the situation continues, it might have an impact on the upcoming major festivals. Hence, the concerned stakeholders should immediately reopen the customs points.”

Life has been crippled across the country as the southern border has been sealed and cargo movement halted. The people’s problems have been compounded by a long-running banda in the Tarai. Transportation, businesses and institutions have been severely hurt by the blockade.

The Finance Committee has also directed the government to reopen the customs points at Tatopani and Rasuwagadhi on the northern border between Nepal with China at the earliest possible to ensure smooth supplies of essential commodities.  These border points had been closed as travel had become hazardous due to the damage caused by the disastrous earthquake of April 25. The government said that both the routes had been cleared of debris on the Nepal side of the border. “China has told us that they are working to clear the landslide on the road to Kyirong,” said an official of the Ministry of Commerce and Supply. Nepal has been requesting the northern neighbour to open both the routes as soon as possible as the Dashain festival is approaching.

Likewise, the House panel has drawn the attention of the government to the long drawn-out strike and banda in the Tarai region, and has directed it to end the impasse at the earliest possible through talks.

“The long-running strike in the Tarai region might have an impact on the country’s economy,” the parliamentary committee said.

The private sector has been saying that the ongoing political turmoil in the southern plains of the county has hurt business severely, and that if a solution is not found soon, it might bring negative implications in the days to come.

“Businesses have been hurt in such a manner that it might be difficult for them to recover. This is a political problem and should be solved through dialogue among the stakeholders,” said Hari Bhakta Sharma, senior vice-president of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI).

According to Sharma, it is difficult to quantify the losses incurred by the country’s private sector as multiple sectors have been hit by the Tarai unrest.  “The Tarai is an integral part of Nepal’s industrial base. Unrest in the region has caused huge losses to multiple sectors.”