ROLPA, April 25: After an 18-hour long journey from Kathmandu to Rolpa on a tipper truck, a group of laborers got off at the Bal Mandir in Libang, the district headquarters of Rolpa. They had their children and bags with them.
According to them, they were able to make it to Rolpa with the help of vehicles arranged for stranded workers in Kathmandu in coordination with the Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Barsha Man Pun. Minister Pun was praised on social media for his initiative to rescue those stranded laborers. However, they had to pay three times higher than the normal fare.
Although it was said that they were rescued, it seemed as if no sympathy was shown to them, especially to the women who had small children with them. After reaching Libang, they still had to cover another 50 kilometers to their homes at Iribang of Pariwartan Rural Municipality.
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“Without proper food and water, we have arrived here,” one of the female laborers said. She further added, “Children are the worst-affected during this long tiresome journey.” According to her, the owner of the brick kiln, whey they work, had sent them on that vehicle.
After the stranded people arrive in Libang or Holeri, the main entry point to the district, the local authorities drop them at their villages.
Various government authorities along the road, however, have turned a blind eye to the troubles the passengers have to take throughout the journey.
“We were treated inhumanely throughout the journey. Neither was the vehicle good nor did we get any meal,” another woman lamented. Thank God, we arrived in Rolpa amid heavy rainfall and after a tiring journey.
A total of 3,416 people rescued from Kathmandu and other parts of the country have been kept under quarantine at their local levels. The local governments have arranged lodging and food for them.
