KATHMANDU: As many as 10,000 Nepali migrant workers have been stranded in the Goa State of India due to lockdown.
Thousands of Nepali people have been languishing near the bus park, railway station and roads in the scorching heat of the sun.
Nepali people have been left in high and dry in various places in India including Goa, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, New Delhi, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Kerala.
They are facing the shortage of food and lodging, according to Progressive Nepali Society in India.
According to Lokendra Sherpali, General Secretary of the Society, all the hotels and restaurants remain closed down since May.
“They will resume only after December. All of restaurants and hotels have been closed down due to Coronavirus pandemic. The staffers of the restaurants and hotels are gradually lacking food to eat and shelter,” Sherpali told Khabarhub.
Almost 10,000 out of 80,000 Nepali migrant workers in India want to return home immediately.
Jobs gone, no food nor shelter
Already afflicted with the loss of employment due to lockdown, the hunger has added woes further to the Nepali migrant workers.
Kishan Ojha of Dhulikhel, who is now stranded in Guwahati of India, says, “I have knocked the door of all the concerned offices but none of them bothered to rescue us.”
He has been staying at a hotel based in Guwahati. “It would be a great relief if the government rescued us.”
Chandra Sherpali has no different story. He has lost his job for the last two months. Even though his company is providing him with food and shelter until today but it is not going to do so forever.
“Many Nepali migrant workers are likely to lose their lives if the government delays to rescue them in time. Save us. We want to come back home,” Sherpali appeals to the government.
Stranded Nepalis have been making an appeal to the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi to make an arrangement for their return.
According to Ajaya Dangi who is currently at Kalanbot in Goa, over 5,000 Nepali people are stranded at Kalanbot.
Isn’t this our government?
The feeling of stranded Nepali people in India has been hurt after Prime Minister did not bother to rescue them.
“Aren’t we Nepali people? We elected you to the post. Why don’t you pay the heed to the woes being faced by Nepali migrant workers in India currently?” asks Sherpali.
Sherpali objected to the Prime Minister’s statement that the infection case would increase further if the Nepali migrant workers were rescued from India.
Similarly, Santosh Bishwokarma of Dang feels sad over the government’s failure to rescue the Nepali people in India.
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