Dhangadi, September 9

With the general strike in the plains of the far-west persisting, scarcity of basic commodities in the region, mostly in the hilly districts looms large.

While industries in Kailali and Kanchanpur, the financial hubs in the region have long been shut due to the protracted bandh, hilly districts, namely, Doti, Dadeldhura, Baitadi, Darchula, Bajhang, Achham and Bajura have borne the brunt with the supply of daily necessities from Kailali and Kanchanpur and outside coming to a halt.

According to Kailali chamber of commerce and industry Secretary Bhim Deuba , all food industries in the district are shut. “Almost everything including rice, pulse, vegetables, mobile re-charge cards and petroleum products are in short supply,” said local trader Khadak Bahadur Shahi of Dipayal, adding, “Our stocks have finished and there is no way we can replenish our stores in the midst of such protracted bandh in the plains.”

Similarly the bandh has also affected construction sector in the region as construction materials like cement, steel and the likes are very hard to come by in the markets of Mahendranagar and Dhangadi.

Meanwhile, the bandh and disruption of vehicular movement have also been the bane of farmers here as food products and vegetables are bound to rot in the field without any means of transportation at hand. “As everything comes through the Tarai districts, the continuous strike there has had a ripple effect on the hilly areas here,” said a hotelier of Dipayal, Khamraj Bhandari.