With an indefinite strike in the eastern Terai districts, imports from India have come to a complete halt. Around 4,000 vehicles carrying essential goods are stranded at the border at Birgunj, the major gateway into Nepal.
Demanding cancellation of the proposed provincial boundaries, an alliance of Madhesi parties has continued their protest across the Terai from Jhapa to Parsa since the last eight days. Cargo containers and trucks are stranded at the Indo-Nepal border in a queue stretching back some 25 km from Laxmipur, Raxaul. Around 400 vehicles carrying consumer goods and raw materials for industry come through the border point on a normal day.
