Kathmandu, April 18:

For the first time after the general strike called by the seven-party alliance, 26 vehicles, including 11 trucks carrying essential goods, today entered the valley from different parts of the country. The vehicles were escorted by security personnel.

The vehicles that came to Nagdhunga at around 7:30 pm included 11 trucks which carried timber, fish, chicken, rice and vegetables, four tankers carrying petrol, milk and Aircraft Turbine Fuel (ATF) and nine passenger buses - eight from Birgunj and one from Dadhingbesi. An Indian truck carrying bananas reached Kathmandu from Birgunj after 13 days due to disturbances in different places of the nation.

According to traffic officers at the Nagdhunga checkpost, some 13 vehicles had left for Birgunj yesterday.

The officers also said only one bike entered the valley from Chitwan today. Some 25 people have entered the valley from various parts of the nation on cycles, they said.

Meanwhlie, a convoy of 26 vehicles en route to Kathmandu from Birgunj — that left Hetauda for Narayangarh on Tuesday afternoon — under the escort of security personnel were forced to retrace their paths due to road obstructions placed at Basamadi VDC’s Lebat.

All the 26 vehicles are being kept at the RNA’s Suparetar barracks, said district police office. President of the Narayani Transport Entrepreneurs Association, Gokarna Parajuli, warned that those running vehicles during the movement would be punished.