Motihari: Around 100 tourists, including 12 from Hungary, who had been stranded at various hotels in Raxaul for the past two days, were finally able to enter Birgunj city in Nepal on Monday morning. This came after authorities reopened the India-Nepal border entry gates at Raxaul and the Shankaracharya Gate of Birgunj. The gates had been sealed on Saturday after the Parsa district administration imposed a curfew in Birgunj to control unrest following incidents of stone-pelting, arson and clashes during a religious procession. “All tourists who were stranded in Raxaul left for Birgunj and Kathmandu on Monday morning after the gates reopened and the curfew was lifted,” said Ram Prasad, manager of a hotel in Raxaul. Commercial activity also resumed on both sides of the border. Trucks and containers loaded with foreign goods entered Birgunj, while Raxaul market, deserted just a day earlier, was once again buzzing with business. The curfew, which had been imposed on Saturday evening in Birgunj’s Chhapkaiya locality, was officially lifted at midnight on Sunday. Birgunj, Nepal’s largest commercial hub and a city adjoining Raxaul in Bihar, is gradually returning to normal after two days of tension and disruption. Both the Raxaul entry gate and Birgunj’s Shankaracharya Gate were reopened early Monday to facilitate smooth cross-border movement. Ganesh Aryal, chief district officer of Parsa, issued the order to lift the curfew late Sunday night after assessing the improved situation. “As per the Nepali calendar, Monday marks the first day of the New Year, considered auspicious,” Aryal said. However, prohibitory orders remain in force across the city to prevent further disturbances and public gatherings until further notice. Commenting on the unrest, BJP MP from Bettiah, Sanjay Jaiswal, said, “The situation has returned to normalcy, but the India-Nepal border area has become a den for anti-social elements and infiltrators from other countries. Some people living near the border are engaged in anti-national activities, drug smuggling and circulation of counterfeit currency. The govt must take strict measures to curb such activities.”
