Sarlahi, July 2:

A traffic strike called by transport entrepreneurs has affected normal life in districts of the east Tarai for the past four days.

Chairperson of the Sarlahi Chambers of Commerce and Industries Rangalal Agrawal said the bandh had badly hit the trade and commerce sector.

Places like Barathawa, Ishworpur, Lalbandhi, Hariwan and Malangwa in the district have been wearing a deserted look due to the bandh. “Vegetables like cucumbers and fruits like mangoes are rotting as they can’t be transported to the markets due to want of vehicles,” a Nawalpur-based vegetable farmer Bramhadev Yadav said.

There is shortage of cooking gas, kerosene, diesel and petrol in the district headquarters Malangwa, a local Krishna Kumar Shrestha said, adding there was also a shortage of daily consumer items in the markets.

The Nepal Truck and Tanker Entrepreneurs’ Federation (NTTEF), apart from demanding that highways be declared a peace zone, has also demanded round-the-clock guarantee of security and urged that acts like collecting donation be stopped. It is staging an agitation since June 29.

A report from Saptari said no long or short route vehicles plied. In Bara, vehicles stayed off the roads on the Kalaiya-Birgunj, Birgunj-Pathlaiya and Pathlaiya-Neejgarh sections of Mahendra Highway and Pathlaiya-Hetauda section of Tribhuvan Highway.

A report from Pokhara said transport entrepreneurs there, expressing solidarity with the ongoing NTTEF agitation, will halt public transport service and join the agitation that will be announced by the Dhaulagiri Transport Entrepreneurs’ Coordination Committee on Wednesday.

Various transport entrepreneurs’ organisations in a joint statement today said they will halt public transport from Wednesday. A report from Mahendranagar said passengers stranded there due to obstructions on the Sisauya, Jhalari Krishnapur and Attariya sections of East-West highway complained that the administration did not take any initiative to resume the transport service. They staged a sit-in at the Kanchanpur district administration office (DAO).

Hundreds of travellers who entered Nepal from the Gaddachauki checkpoint are forced to put up in hotels in Mahendranagar due to the transport strike.

Buses in Koshi to ply from today

Itahari: Buses in the Koshi zone will start plying from Tuesday morning.

An understanding to this effect was reached during talks between bus entrepreneurs, representatives of the eight parties and workers’ union and security officials at the Sunsari DAO on Monday, CDO Prem Narayan Sharma said. According to him, an understanding was reached that the DAO would send a list of damages caused by armed groups during bandhs to the Home Ministry. However, cargo entrepreneurs said Monday’s talks were one-sided and, as such, the understanding unacceptable to them. Sharma said another round of meeting will be held at 8:00 am on Tuesday in Itahari. — HNS