KATHMANDU, Nov 19: As Nepali market reels under acute shoratage of medicines, fuel and other essentials, the Indian side has now sought list of goods that Nepal needed urgently.
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The Indian Embassy asked the government to provide a list of cargo vehicles carrying medicines, which are stopped in Raxaul across the border for over two months.
Sending an email to the minister for health and population on Tuesday evening, the embassy asked to provide the license plate numbers of the trucks carrying medicines so that it can help re-route the cargos to other check points.
Minister Chaudhary however claimed that the embassy mailed him only after he took serious initiatives to release the essential goods stopped across the border. He said that the embassy didn't make such request earlier. He rubbished the claims that the embassy had sought such a list from the government prior to his initiatives.
Over 425 cargo vehicles carrying essential medicines and raw materials of various pharmaceutical companies have been stopped on the border points following an economic blockade imposed by India on Nepal for over two months now.
Health facilities across the country have been reeling under an acute shortage of essential drugs due to the economic blockade imposed by India on Nepal. Reeling under the scarcity of essential medicines and surgical supplies, several hospitals including Sahid Gangalal National Heart Center (SGNHC) have decided to cut down on the number of surgeries they perform.
The Indian side also claimed that it had sought such a list from former foreign minister Mahendra Pandey of the previous government as well.
Pandey however said that it was only after he asked Indian ambassador Ranjit Rae to take serious initiatives to release the essential goods stopped across Raxaul checkpoint that they sought such a list.
Pandey informed that when he asked Rae why only trucks carrying goods such as vegetables are entering Nepal while vehicles laden with fuel and medicines have been stopped, the latter told him that he could take initiatives to allow priority vehicles into Nepal if a priority list is provided.
"This response from Indian side came only after we pressed them to take initiatives to release the vehicles laden with essentials instead of other goods," Pandey told Republica.
According to him, this development had taken place a day before he left the office following change in government leadership.
"I had informed my secretariat at the ministry about this development. As I left the office, I am not updated about what happened next," he said.
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