Life in hills comes to normalcy after blockade ends

KALIKOT/SURKHET, Feb 18: With the end of blockade at Nepal-India border checkpoints in Birgunj, lives in Kalikot and Surkhet have come back to normalcy.

There is normal supply of basic commodities and petroleum products in hill and mountain regions of the country.

Earlier, locals were compelled to pay higher price for purchasing goods when there was shortage of goods in the market due to the border blockade.Consumers had earlier paid Rs 140 for a packet of edible oil which used to cost Rs 100.

Although the price remained expensive for few days even after the end of the blockade, there is uniformity of price in the markets now, according to local consumers in Kalikot.

Kalikot Chamber of Commerce (KCC) informed that both the traders and consumers have felt a sigh of relief with the resumption of supplies via Nepal-India border points.

"Traders have started selling their goods at normal rate," KCC Chairman Surya Bahadur Shahi said. Earlier, there was rampant black marketeering and unhealthy competition for sale, according to him.

Local traders in Surkhet used to sell their goods up to 80 percent higher than their actual price. However, price has recently reduced with the normal flow of supplies following the end of blockade. "I've started selling most of the goods at actual price," Prakash Malla, owner of Dailekhi Sports in Surkhet, told Republica.

One of the local consumers, Bipna Malla, informed that she has now started purchasing goods at the earlier price once again.

Over a hundred vehicles of all kinds are now plying along the Karnali Highway, according to District Traffic Police Office (DTPO), Kalikot. The District Administration Office Kalikot also informed that the petrol pumps have been distributing fuel to consumers as per their demand.

"There is normal supply and distribution of fuel in the district," Chief District Officer (CDO) Pradip Shrestha said.

However, there is still shortage of cooking gas, CDO Shrestha admitted. Although there is enough gas with dealers, the problem is with the distribution.

Since the last four days, supply and distribution of petroleum products have come to normalcy in Surkhet. "We've resumed operation of all the petrol pumps in the district," Nawaraj Pokhrel, chief of Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), Surkhet said.

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