NEPALGUNJ, FEBRUARY 11
People have started moving to India for jobs after Jamunaha, the Nepal-India border point, opened formally in Banke.
The number of people heading towards India increased after Jamunaha Area Police Office formally opened the border. Jamunaha Area Police Office Chief Bishnu Giri said that as many as 500 people have been heading to India with the opening of the border on a daily basis. He said mostly people from hilly districts of West Nepal were heading to India for jobs after a public notice about the border opening was issued. Most of the people, who had returned from India during the lockdown period have started moving back to India as there was no other option.
Rajesh Thapa, a local of Naumul, Dailekh, said he was compelled to head to Gujrat as he was unemployed for seven months in the country.
Raju BK of Ramghat, Surkhet, Dipendra Chhetry of Salyan, and Satya Bahadur Khatri of Dhime, Jajarkot, said they were heading to India as they had no option in the country. Police said the people found it easy to reach Indian markets after the border opened formally.
Earlier, people found it difficult to reach Indian markets as the border had not opened formally. It is said that the demand of Nepali workers in India is high as the impact of coronavirus had decreased and vaccination campaign had also been launched in India.
Besides, industry owners had reached Rupaidiya to pick up Nepali workers.
Matiarwa border point opens
Matiarwa, a major entry point for cross-border movement between Nepal and India in Bara reopened on Thursday.
The entry point was closed for about a year. It was opened at the initiative of Chief District Officer Dipakraj Nepal.
The entry point had been closed after the government imposed lockdown to curb the COVID-19 outbreak in March last year. It reopened with a special programme on Thursday.
Former MP Rambabu Kumar Yadav, Province Assembly member Paras Sah, police Chief Dipendra Sahi, and APF Bara Chief Rabinraj Karnajeet were present at the opening.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 12, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.