Sunday, February 13 2005 17:56 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kathmandu: Transport services outside the Nepalese Capital were badly hit on the second day of the economic blockade called by Maoists to protest the royal takeover and imposition of emergency in the country, official sources said.

Movement of long-distance vehicles to and from Kathmandu on the highways connecting the capital was crippled.

Only 26 vehicles entered Kathmandu and 78 exited from the Thankot check post, the main land route to the capital, sources at Army headquarters said.

In Palpa district of western Nepal, transport services came to a complete halt but some markets were open, as was the case in Janakpur area of Dhanusha district.

Reports said the Army-escorted vehicles were entering or leaving the Kathmandu valley via the Thankot check post.

A "sufficient number" of ground forces and helicopters were deployed along major highways, including the road to Raxaul, south of Kathmandu, which is the main trucking route into the country, they said.

The blockade, which was largely peaceful in and around the country, did not have much effect in Kathmandu, except the fear of short supply of some essential items due to very few vehicles plying on the highways.

Schools and colleges were closed because of the Basant Panchami festival and despite the blockade call, Nepal's only train service resumed with protection by security forces.

The call for a blockade and traffic strike coincides with the February 13, 1996 art of the Maoists' bloody struggle to topple the monarchy and install a Communist Republic in the kingdom.

Purna Shrestha, a member of the Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs' Federation, said, "Very few vehicles except mini-buses are operating in the south-eastern part of the country with long-route bus services and public goods carriers at a standstill".

"There is no movement of vehicles along the highways in the western parts of the country except a few micro-buses," he said.

Businesses and traffic in the Capital were normal, with media censorship possibly limiting the impact of the strike call.

Residents of Kathmandu might face a scarcity of essential items if the movement of loaded trucks and passenger buses continues to decline in the next few days.

However, the Government has reduced the prices of LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) cooking gas and kerosene to give relief to people.