Siraha, October 18:

Traders here are not happy even with the arrival of Dashain, which is considered a good time for business. Extortion by various armed groups and declining sales are keeping them on the tenterhooks.

Traders selling clothes worth Rs 60,000 are unable to sell goods worth even Rs 5,000.

Extortion to the tune of more than what they earn is the bane of their life. Their workers of the Pahadey origin have fled due to threats by Tarai groups, and they are suffering losses to the tune of Rs 1 lakh daily due to extortion.

Owner of locally-reputed Bimal Bastralaya, who used to sell clothes worth Rs 60,000 daily, is able to sell clothes worth Rs 5,000. Bimal Yadav, proprietor of the Siraha (1)-based shop, said repeated bandhs and conflict between the hill and Tarai people have killed business.

Before the conflict, a hill family, on an average, used to buy clothes worth over Rs 5,000 for Dashain. Now, owing to threats issued by Tarai groups, most of the hill people have started leaving the Tarai. Business has gone down by over 60 per cent due to their exodus, he added.

Raj Dev Yadav, the owner of Nirajan Cloth Stores, said he is facing the same situation. He added that he had taken loan to stock his shop, but sales have plummeted.

Sitting beside Yadav’s shop, Ali Miyan, head of a tailoring shop, said sales are so down that he

cannot employ more

than two workers. Earlier, he used to employ 10 workers.

President of the Siraha Trade committee Mahendra Yadav admitted that repeated bandhs, extortion threats and exodus of the hill-origin people have hit business hard. Traders in Siraha will be decimated if this situation persists, he said.