Nepali workers returning from India for Dashain overcharged at border

Nepali workers who returned home from India to celebrate Dashain have complained of having to pay far more than the normal fare in the border area and of undergoing repeated checks. Kali Bahadur Sahakari of Pachalzharana Rural Municipality in Kalikot said he had to pay about 250 Indian rupees from Banbasa in India to Gaddachowki in Nepal.

He said the normal fare for that route is only about 50 Indian rupees plus a small extra charge for luggage. Nepal Rastra Bank has set today's purchase rate for 100 Indian rupees at 160 Nepali rupees.

Sahakari has been doing wage labor in the Garhwal and Almora areas of Uttarakhand, India, for nearly four decades. He said workers carrying heavy loads toward India have to stand in long lines for X-ray checks.

He earns about 500 to 600 Indian rupees a day, compared to only about 10 to 20 rupees four decades ago. He said that even though wages have risen, the hardship of the journey remains the same, and with travel and other costs rising, it has become difficult to support his family.

After Tihar, he plans to return to India after harvesting paddy and sowing wheat. Another worker from Kalikot, Bishal BK, said the inflated fares eat into savings set aside for the festival. However, he said only a few workers file complaints about such extra charges.