Rautahat, September 6

With the four week-long continuous general strike called by United Democratic Madhesi Front, life has been hit hard in the Tarai districts.

However, the government doesn’t seem to be serious about resolving the problem, neither are the agitating forces.

Life in Rautahat, Bara, Parsa, Sarlahi, Mahottari and Dhanusha districts has been largely affected for a long time. Due to this longest-ever strike in the country, people in the districts are facing acute shortage of petroleum, LP gas, grocery and food items, among others. Daily wage labourers, deprived of their everyday income, have been worst-hit.

“We have no option but to stay on empty stomach because everything — businesses, marketplaces, trading houses, everything is closed. We don’t have cash to buy goods. Hence, we have been starving for days,” lamented Methur Sah of Gaur. Rickshaw puller, Sah, said he had nobody to ask for loan as well.

Daily wage labourer Ram Dinesh Mahato of Ganga Pipara-4, has been unable to join his job because of the closure. “I have a six-member family and we are likely to die of hunger if this situation continues for a few more days. People in urban areas have started to use firewood due to acute shortage of LP cooking gas in the market. “If the strike is not withdrawn within a few days, city denizens will face acute firewood crisis,” said Senior Citizen Association Rautahat Chairperson Bijaya Kishor Jha. He said they were compelled to go to Indian marketplaces for shopping due to the strike in the Nepalese market.

Prolonged closure of banks has also led to financial crunch as people have not been able to withdraw money. “The government should ensure safe and easy life for all individuals by creating conducive atmosphere,” demanded Jha.

Vehicular movement, educational institutes, industries, market places, among others, have remained completely shut.

Hundreds of wage labourers have lost their source of income and entrepreneurs are incurring huge losses every day due to the general strike in the Tarai.