India returnee Nepali migrant workers flocking home for festivals

Like every year during festivals, Nepali people have been returning home in hordes from neighboring Indian cities for the upcoming Dashain festival.

Jamunaha transit in Nepalgunj has witnessed an increasing number of Nepali people returning home for the festival. Around 5,000 people entered Nepal from the transit on a daily basis, said Senior Sub Inspector Madhav Rijal, adding that most of the returnees were migrant workers.

In general, Nepali people returned home from jobs in Indian cities for festivals like Dashain, Tihar, and Chhath. After the festivals are over and there is no work at home, they again went to work in India. Most of the youths from Lumbini and Karnali Provinces went to Indian cities for job opportunities. The seasonal migrant workers returned home for festivals and to harvest and cultivate crops, said Rijal.

However, the India returnee Nepali migrant workers faced the perennial problems of extortions and other hassles at the border, especially during festivals. Security arrangements have been made at the transits to facilitate the mobility of the Nepali people returning home for festivals, said Superintendent of Police Shyam Krishna Adhikari.

In view of Dashain, citizen help desks have been set up at seven places in Banke district including Jamunaha, Nepalgunj Bus Park, Kohalpur Bus Park, Samjhana Chowk and Chisapani of Baijanath, Dhanauli of Khajura, and Kusum of Raptisonari, which hear into and address problems and complaints of the Nepali people returning home from Indian cities, he said.