Situation on India-Nepal border returning to normal after formation of new govt

Bahraich (UP), Sep 13 (PTI) The situation on the India-Nepal border appears to be returning to normal with the formation of a new government in Nepal.

On Saturday, traffic for passenger vehicles, cars, motorcycles, pedestrians, and cargo trucks resumed at the Rupaidiha border here. While a large number of commercial cargo vehicles crossed the border, the movement of general citizens remained relatively low.

Commandant of the 42nd Battalion of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Ganga Singh Udawat told PTI, "With the formation of the new government in Nepal, conditions have started to become normal. Therefore, we did not stop anyone today, although we allowed people to enter the country only after ensuring their identity." He added that border outposts were actively monitoring citizens and vehicles.

Typically, around 50,000 people cross the Rupaidiha border daily, but on Saturday, the number was only around 20,000. A group of about 20 Indian pilgrims on their way to Kailash Mansarovar also crossed the border from Rupaidiha.

Sudhir Sharma, the officer-in-charge of the Land Port Authority of India, said, "The faces of drivers and assistants of cargo trucks, lorries, tankers, and containers, who had been stranded for five days, were happy. All of them were dispatched to Nepal on Saturday, and all cargo vehicles that were stuck in Nepalganj have returned to our country." Sharma confirmed that more than 500 cargo vehicles, loaded with diesel, petrol, gas, and food, were sent to Nepal from the ICP in Rupaidiha. Hundreds of empty vehicles have also returned to India after delivering their goods.

The official added that the Rupaidiha-Nepalgunj border is now clear of stranded vehicles.

He also highlighted the border's significance for Indian trade, noting that it is a key export point, with 99 per cent of the trade being exports and only one per cent being imports. "We only import herbal medicines from Nepal, and today, too, two trucks of herbal medicines have arrived from Nepal," he said. PTI COR CDN MNK MNK