Residents are now facing acute shortage of daily commodities and supplies. Majority of the transportation service remains off the road, factories, industries, banks and many other private sectors services have not resumed their operation. Locals have been deprived access even to government services.
"I listen to radio every day. I talk with people who understand things around. Everyone says that leaders are in talks for resolving the crisis," said Rupesh Mandal, a local of Launiya Village Development Committee (VDC) of Saptari district. "But I really don't know when their table-talks will bear fruit and the banda will be called off. The banda has been causing serious problems for us."
According to him, the whole village is reeling under acute shortage of medicines, salts and other essential goods. Shops in the district headquarters are out salt stocks he claimed. "Farmers have been not able to sell their harvest. On the other hand, shortage of fertilizers in the market is adding us more troubles," added Mandal, venting his frustration.
Former VDC secretary Gannu Mukhiya said locals are unable to sell their farm yields due to lack of transportation. "Although locals have stocks of paddy, wheat along with other food grains, they do not have access to market to sell it. The condition is getting pitiful day by day," said Mukhiya.
People living in rural areas of Madhes rely either on their farms or the remittance sent by their relatives working abroad for making a living. However, the banda has deprived them even from receiving remittance as the remittance outlets remain closed. "Locals are also not able to receive remit sent to them by their relatives from abroad, as most of the banks have remained closed," he further informed. Mukhiya added.
Amar Raya of Tilathi-8 claimed that the shortage in the market was due to hurdles in importing goods from India as well. He informed that imports from India have not eased yet. "Cadres of the agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) have still not withdrawn their sit-in protests at the border. The intervention of Indian border security Sima Surakshya Bal (SSB) in bringing goods from India continues to these days. All of these are creating difficulties to import goods from across the border," he claimed.
With the ongoing shortage of supplies in the market, locals are having hard time even to buy their daily bread. "Prices of commodities have soared up. With our saving exhausted and no means to earn, we are forced to take loans. But getting loans is also getting tougher as landlords also cite lack of business," added Raya.
Similar is the plight of Devkanta Jha of Tilathi-7. "I had not imagined that the leaders would close down the region for such a long period. Had we foreseen such a crisis coming our way, we would have prepared ourselves beforehand," said Jha, who is also a retired government officer.
"We are also deprived of pensions as banks are yet to resume their operation. We can neither receive our pensions, nor can we claim remittance sent by our relatives," he added.
Elderly citizens, single mothers, people with disabilities, and children of the underprivileged Dalit community among others have been deprived of allowances and other state facilities, which for most of them is a means of buying their daily bread.
"VDC secretary said they can provide us our allowances only after the banda is withdrawn. There is no food stock left in my house," said an elderly Bhikhai Sardar, 70, of Dada-7 adding that with the allowance not coming through it has been growing hard for her to sustain.
According to Harihar Chaudhary, an officer of the District Development Office (DDO), almost 55,000 people in the district are deprived of their social allowances due to banda. "Many people visit the DDO officials every day requesting for their allowance. We have to return them empty hand every day as there is nothing we can do unless the office reopens," said Chaudhary.
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