MAHOTTARI, JANUARY 11
With the rising cases of coronavirus infection in various cities of neighbouring India, Nepalis who had gone there for employment are returning home in large number now.
The border points at Mahottari district witnessed influx of people returning home from Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and Madras of India.
Although a large number of people are entering Nepal, the authorities don't have the exact figure.
People have been entering Nepal even via trails. The district shares 38-km border with India. There are dense settlements on both sides of the border.
Bus transportation is available on both sides of the border connecting Matihani, Bhittamor and Samsi. However, many people are using trails fearing that they will be frisked at the border points.
Lalan Kumar Singh from Manrasiwa Municipality of Mahottari district pointed to the settlement beyond the border and said, "Entry and exit is common here. The village beyond the border is Gorhari of Sitamadi district of India. I don't think our administration is keeping records of the influx."
Similarly, Pabindra Raya from Halkhori said that many people were using detours to enter Nepal fearing that they would be checked by security persons at border points.
For lack of security checks and coronavirus test, the spread of coronavirus in the border area is very likely.
This has inflicted havoc among people here.
Social activist Mohammad Imtiyaj from Samsi said, "Although it is not wise to disallow home comers, the entry points need to be managed well during crisis to avoid the spread of coronavirus."
He asked why the health desk was not set up at the border points.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 12, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
