Customs officials deputed at the India-Nepal border in Raxaul will work during the Durga Puja vacation and other holidays to clear the long queue of vehicles waiting to enter Nepal through this border.

Also, a special provision has been made to give round-the-clock customs clearance service on either side of the border to solve the issue. A long queue of trucks and other heavy vehicles can be seen parked on a 30km stretch between Chapwa and Raxaul along National Highway 28A owing to congestion on the border.

It all started on September 15 when Nepal closed the entry of vehicles, except those carrying essential goods, owing to local body elections there. The prohibitory order was lifted on the evening of September 19 but by that time, a long trail of vehicles had formed. 'Realising the enormity of the problem, we held a meeting with our counterparts in Nepal following which round-the-clock customs clearance was started two days ago,' deputy customs commissioner in Raxaul Santosh Kumar told The Telegraph on Monday.

Earlier, the customs clearance work used to take place between 5am and 10pm, leading to heavy congestion caused by the effect of the five-day border closure.

The customs officials have directed customs house agents to get their paperwork done in advance so that when vehicles approach the border, those can be given clearance after routine inspection of vehicles and documents.

The deputy customs commissioner has directed all customs personnel on the Indian side of the border to report to work even during the holidays, including Durga Puja.

'Even Nepal customs officials, during a meeting on Monday, promised to extend all possible help in clearing the vehicles. They have promised to clear their warehouse before the two-day holiday in their country on September 29 and 30 so that vehicles going from the Indian side could be kept there till the Nepalese customs clearance is given to them,' Kumar said.

The warehouse on the Nepal side can park 700 vehicles at a time and there is some additional parking space there as well. The customs officials of Nepal, in coming three days clear all the vehicles which are already there so that during the two-day holiday when vehicles from Indian side would enter Nepal those would be kept in the warehouse and additional parking space.

A railway official from Raxaul had been invited to Monday's meeting, as a level crossing falls on the road through which vehicles pass has been identified as a major bottleneck. The crossing remains closed for almost 15 hours a day.