Nepal quake: Currency counter, transit camp for returning Indians

NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday initiated measures to ensure smooth homeward passage for Indians returning from Nepal by road after oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan informed PM Narendra Modi about the situation at the border town of Raxaul in Bihar, considered the gateway to the Himalayan country.

A transit camp has been set up jointly by the SSB, which guards the border with Nepal, and refiner-marketer IndianOil Corporation; special trains to Kolkata and Hajipur as well as extra coaches in trains to Delhi are being added to help people travel onwards; and a special SBI counter to help people change Nepalese currency has been opened.

"The main issue is how to provide relief to people coming back and evacuate them. Most of them are workers and are carrying Nepalese currency. The local money changers were taking advantage of the situation by charging 20-25% extra. I reported the situation to the PM. On his instructions, I discussed the issues with the finance minister and the railway minister. Within two hours, SBI started a special currency counter and the railways has arranged additional trains and coaches," Pradhan told TOI over phone.

Pradhan was sent by the PM to Raxaul on Monday to assess the situation regarding fuel supplies to Nepal and relief measures for people returning from the quake-hit country. On Tuesday, the PM also asked agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh, health minister J P Nadda and chemicals and fertilizers minister Ananth Kumar to visit quake-hit areas in Bihar and UP.

Pradhan also discussed relief measures with Nepal commerce minister Sunil Thapa and India's ambassador to the country as well as the fuel supply situation with executives of Nepal Oil Corporation.

"Nepal Oil has informed that they have made arrangements to send fuel upcountry. I assured them that we will meet all their demand. The Amalekhganj (fuel receiving point in Nepal) depot was slightly affected by the quake. Today, IndianOil team visited the facility and restored operation," Pradhan said.

Nepal takes 1.1 million tonnes of petro products in a year from India under a special government dispensation. Supplies consist of 26,000-27,000 tonnes of cooking gas and 0.8 million tonnes of petrol, diesel and kerosene.