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Santanu Sanyal

Agitation by Indian-origin Madhesis in Nepal

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Kolkata Feb. 6 Container Corporation of India (Concor) has suspended running of container trains between the Kolkata port and the Birganj inland container depot (ICD) located inside Nepal in the wake of agitation by the Madhesis, the people of Indian origin, in Nepal.

The Madhesis, who account for nearly one-third of Nepal's total population and dominate agriculture and trade, are demanding equal rights and adequate representations in the administration, judiciary, police, army and other fields.

The agitation has already claimed several lives. Birganj is believed to be under dawn-to-dusk curfew.

It might be noted that the suspension of rake movement between the two countries took place at a time when the throughput on the Kolkata port- Birganj ICD route was on the rise.

Between April and January (2006-07), the throughput at around 9,100 TEUs posted more than 30 per cent growth as compared to the same period of the previous year.

2 rakes stranded

Following agitation, Concor's one rake is stranded inside the ICD while another en route at Asansol. Each rake is loaded with about 80 containers full of Nepal-bound imports routed through the Kolkata port. An additional 150 containers are also lying uncleared inside the ICD. Another 300 containers awaiting shipments to the Birganj ICD are lying within the Kolkata Dock System. Inquiries reveal that the volume of uncleared Nepal-bound traffic at Haldia is "negligible". Normally three rakes are operated on the Kolkata port-Birganj ICD-Kolkata port circuit totalling 15 trips every month. Concor has withdrawn the third rake from the circuit following the agitation and put it on the Kolkata port-Amingaon ICD circuit.

It might be noted that the agitation has brought road movement of goods between the two countries too to a halt, with hundreds of trucks stranded at Raxaul and Jogbani, the two Indian towns in Bihar bordering Nepal.

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