Kathmandu: Nepal on Monday decided to clear key highways and border points blockaded by Indian-origin Madhesis for over two-months, affecting the supply of essential goods to the land-locked country, a day after four protesters died in police firing. The agitating Madhesi parties have been blockading the Nepal-India border crossing points for about two months, obstructing movement of cargo vehicles creating acute shortage of fuel, medicines and other essential goods.
"We have mobilised security personnel along the highways and near the border areas so that key highways could be cleared and movement of cargo and other vehicles could resume," Home Ministry spokesperson Laxmi Prasad Dhakal said. "The government has decided to mobilise Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and National Investigation Department personnel under special security strategy," he said. However, the government has not yet decided to mobilise army in the Terai.
It has become necessary to mobilise all three security agencies in the southern plains in a coordinated manner in the wake of growing violence in the region, he said. Special security plan has been adopted to clear the highways, he added. The agitating Indian-origin Madhesi groups have been obstructing the border points with India and blocking the East-West highway, which links Kathmandu with the Southern plains of Nepal. The move has been taken to ease supply of essentials including petroleum products, LP gas and medicines to the country from India.
Meanwhile, a key Madhesi party has announced to allow movement of vehicles belonging to media, ambulances, diplomatic agencies, red cross and human rights organisation in the southern Nepal. Issuing a statement, president of Federal Socialist Party Nepal Upendra Yadav asked everyone to cooperate in the movement of vehicles belonging to press, hospitals, ambulance, red cross, diplomatic agencies and human rights organisations in the Terai region.
The announcement comes two days after the agitators burnt a truck carrying medicines and vandalised ambulances carrying sick patients in Saptarai district, where four people were killed during clashes with the police on Friday night. Over 40 people have been killed in the violent agitation by the Madhesis, the Indian-origin inhabitants of Nepal's Terai region protesting against division of their ancestral homeland into seven provinces in the new Constitution. The violence has overwhelmed Indo-Nepal ties as transit of goods and fuel to the Himalayan nation has been badly affected.
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