Shortages of life-saving medicine because of political protests in Nepal that have blocked key roads could lead to a crisis, as hospitals have started to cut services, doctors said Thursday.
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External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup reiterated that there has been “no blockade” by India and the problem was political in nature which has to be resolved by the Nepalese leadership through dialogue.
Political parties and indigenous groups based in Nepal’s Terai region are protesting the country’s new constitution, promulgated on September 20, which, they claim, fails to address their long-standing grievances.
He said India has conveyed to Nepal that it was “ready to facilitate rerouting of vehicles carrying medicines”.
“We are also ready to facilitate airlift”.
Swarup’s response came after being pointed out that Nepal’s prime minister has again said that India should not block movement of cargo to the Himalayan nation.
The Nepalese government has accused India of unofficially backing this protest by slowing or stopping completely traffic from crossing the border into Nepal. We have clarified repeatedly that there has been no blockade by India whatsoever.
“Hospitals have run out of essential drugs and supplies, vital social services have been disrupted and aid agencies such as Oxfam have not been able to secure fuel to deliver relief items to prepare people for the winter in earthquake-affected districts”, said Cecilia Keizer, head of Oxfam in Nepal.
Kathmandu: As Nepal began to reel under a severe shortage of essential drugs following a two-month-old blockading of the southern border with India, the agitating Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha on Thursday chose to facilitate safe passage of medicines to Kathmandu.
Is India imposing a few kind of blockade on Nepal?
He hoped that addressing concerns of the protesters will help in restoring peace in the affected areas.
He said the major crossing of Raxaul-Birgunj which handles two-thirds of the trade between India and Nepal continued to remain closed on the Nepal side of the border. He said the shortages in Nepal were due to the blockade of major border crossing points of Birgunj-Raxaul border.
Nepal has bee accusing India of imposing the blockade.
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“Petrol, oil, lubricants – POL supplies – continue to move to the extent possible”, the spokesperson said.
