Nepalis stuck near India border due to lockdown in their country

Lucknow: With Nepal extending its nationwide lockdown on account of Covid-19 outbreak by a week on Monday, a large number of migrant labourers from Nepal working in India gathered in towns lining the India-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh as well as in Uttarakhand wanting to go back home.

In Maharajganj, nearly 100 workers were found stranded, waiting to cross over to the other side. “We are asking them to stay back and assuring them that we will take care of their food and shelter but they seem desperate to go back,” Ujjwal Kumar, district magistrate of Maharajganj, told ET. “I am in discussions with chief districts officers on the other side and in Kathmandu if they could let the workers go across but they seem hesitant as of now.” Before this, the administration had facilitated the crossover of 500 workers when Nepal announced a lockdown for the first time, starting March 24, said Kumar.

Workers were found stranded in the town of Dharchula in Uttarakhand too as Nepal extended its lockdown. On the other hand, UP government in a statement said a dialogue should be initiated via the external affairs ministry with the foreign ministry of Nepal.