Kapilvastu, August 14 :

Transport workers and vehicle-owners, who had been staging a sit-in in front of the Krishnanagar Custom Office for the past five days, today agreed to suspend their protest programme for 10 days with effect from tomorrow. They were demanding that their seized vehicles, which have been kept at the office for four years on the suspicion that they were smuggled from India, be handed over to them.

Chairperson of the Taxi and Micro-minibus committee (Tulasipur), Yam Kant Bhandari, said: “Keeping in mind the requests made by representatives of political parties, the Maoists, police and administrative officials, we have decided to suspend the agitation for 10 days with effect from tomorrow.”

The political parties also vowed to take part in the agitation if a decision was not made in favour of the entrepreneurs and transport workers within 10 days.

Transport workers and vehicle-owners have been demanding that action be taken against the owners in whose names the vehicles were first registered and the staffers at the Transport Management Office, who registered the vehicles.

Fifty-five vehicles, which were seized by police and the revenue office on the suspicion that they were smuggled into Nepal from India, have been kept at the Krishnanagar Customs Office.