BANKE: Almost all home-stays have been shut down in the districts of Banke and Bardiya due to ongoing lockdown.

This is, however, the fate of almost all home-stays throughout the country. Home-stays operated nearby national parks in the districts have become dismal as no tourists turn up in the areas due to the prolonged lockdown in the country.

These home-stays, which had gained wide popularity on the eve of the Visit Nepal 2020, took no time to get deserted with the onset of the global pandemic.

According to the Chairperson of Madhuban municipality ward-1, Parshuram Tharu, the home-stays have been closed and locals there have been adversely affected as they do not have any income.

A home-stay operator at Gabhar of Banke, Krishna Chaudhari, expressed the plight that the home-stays in the area are on verge of collapse.