Nepal blockade enters third day

The indefinite blockade, to protest the disappearance of activists in army detention, halted most traffic on Kathmandu's main north and west arteries.

The capital region in the Kathmandu valley consists of three cities -- Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur -- with 1.5 million residents.

A third highway, the Mahendra which heads east from the capital to India, is partially blocked in southeastern Nepal, transport owners said, adding that most traffic to and from Kathmandu had come to a halt.

In response, the federal cabinet late Friday appointed a committee headed by the deputy prime minister and including the finance and home ministers, to monitor food and fuel supplies at markets in the capital for the next two months to stem a growing black market, state-run radio said.

"The committee will make provisions of stocking up fuel and other essential items for at least two months and take records of supplies of those items in stock with businessmen," state-run radio said.

Talking to journalists Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari, pledged special security for vehicles.

"We are going to provide special security for vehicles including petrol tankers coming from the border with India to Kathmandu from tomorrow," he said. Landlocked Nepal gets many of its supplies from its powerful southern neighbor.