It has come as a relief that the blockade targeting the Kathmandu Valley has been halted. But during the two weeks of the third blockade of the Valley imposed by the rebels, exports from and imports into the capital city by road were virtually stopped; many goods, including those of daily consumption, were in short supply. Dairy milk supply in the Valley was less than half the normal volume; cooking gas was extremely difficult to get; sugar had disappeared from most stores; the supply of meat and vegetables similarly fell far short of the demand. This raised the prices, tempting some of the businessmen to sell goods on the blackmarket. The tendency to hoard among the consumers made things worse. However, some vehicles that plied under army escort did not allow the situation to get out of hand. But various parts of the country have fared worse.

Bandhs and blockades make the lives of the general people extremely difficult. But these are not the only things that cut off supply to the capital. Natural calamities like floods have often had a similar effect on the Valley, virtually every year during the monsoons. In view of this vulnerability of the capital, there has been talk of building an alternative route linking it with the rest of the country, and some work has even been done in recent years, but not much. About 90 per cent of the capital-bound goods pass through the Prithvi and Tribhuvan highways, so it is easy to estimate the impact of any disruptions in land transport on the Valley’s about two million residents.

While the need for an alternative route has almost unanimously been stressed, blockades and transport strikes have become frequent phenomena. Even another route might not be of much help on most occasions. Judging by Maoist leader Prachanda’s statement calling off the blockade, as circulated to media organisations by email, the Maoists may call an ‘indefinite general strike’ again next month if no ‘political solution’ is found. So the atmosphere of unease and uncertainty persists among the people. Meanwhile, leaders of five political parties, including the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML, have issued, for the first time since the February 1 Royal takeover, a joint statement calling for the withdrawal of the emergrency orders, the lifting of curbs on democratic rights, and the release of the detainees. At the same time, they have rejected the possibility of working together with the Maoists until the rebels renounce violence. The adverse reaction from most of the international community to the present developments in the country has also stressed the need for national consensus and reconciliation based on dialogue, political settlement and a fully democratic order.