Bandhs Spur Shortage of Consumer Items in Terai

Eastern Tarai has been reeling under acute shortage of consumer goods and medicines due to frequent bandhs and general strikes called by different groups in the region. Prices of goods have also shot up.
An indefinite Madhes strike called by the Madhesi Mukti Tigers (MMT) since September 7 is continuing, while the Dalit Janajati Party had organised a chakkajam before that.
According to our Itahari correspondent, traffic on the Inaruwa-Saptari section of the road has been disrupted for the last 15 days. Fresh vegetables, rice, kerosene, diesel, petrol and cooking gas are in short supply. The supply of medicines has also been affected, consumers said. Proprietor of the Inaruwa-based Janakalyan Medical Hall, Kedar Poudel, said bandhs have affected the supply of medicines from Kathmandu and Birgunj.
A policeman at the Koshi Barrage Police Post, Lok Bahadur Khadka, said prices of goods in the market have shot up. Commerce secretary at the Sunsari Chamber of Commerce and Industries Giridhari Sapkota said the frequent bandhs had paralysed the business sector.
Agricultural products in Laukahi and Bhantabari areas are rotting due to traffic disruption. President of the Consumers' Forum-Inaruwa Ajaya Dev urged the parties concerned not to infringe on the rights of the consumers.
Admitting the shortage of consumer goods in the market, Sunsari CDO Prem Narayan Sharma said efforts were on to solve the problem. "We will apply all possible means to bring the situation under control and check black marketing," he said.
Our Janakpurdham correspondent said a bandh called by the Janakpur Chamber of Commerce and Industries (JCCI) against the alleged highhandedness of the YCL cadres for the last five days had caused shortage of consumer goods in the market. Rickshaw-puller Ram Lochan Mandal said: "On one hand our income has decreased, while on the other it is difficult to find consumer goods in the market."
JCCI general-secretary Shyam Prasad Shah said they would continue their protest programme until the administration brought the guilty to book and ensures their security. Dhanusha coordinator of the YCL Shyam Yadav accused the businessmen of organising the bandh to exploit labourers. Assistant CDO of Dhausha Balbhadra Giri said efforts were on to solve the problem in coordination with the political parties.
In Bara, there has been a shortage of LPG and kerosene. The bandh crippled normal life on Tuesday as well. According to our district correspondents, consumer goods were in short supply in Siraha, Rautahat and Mahottari districts as well.
However, entrepreneurs defied the bandh called by the Madhesi Mukti Tigers in Sarlahi on Tuesday.