Labour shortage in Dharchula villages

Our Correspondent

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Pithoragarh, August 20

Faced with an acute shortage of construction workers, villagers living in high altitudes, beyond the inner line of the Dharchula subdivision, have asked the district administration for a solution to the problem. Labour shortage is also affecting the Indo-China border trade.

The situation emerged after security agencies recently banned the entry of Nepalese labourers beyond Chiyalekh after a Nepalese students’ group organised an anti-India march at the border town of Nepal last week.

A delegation of villagers and traders involved in the Indo-Tibet border trade today met the District Magistrate in this connection.

“As we are totally dependent on Nepalese porters for carrying goods beyond the inner line villages of high altitude. We are facing an acute shortage of labourers as the ITBP had banned the entry of Nepalese porters beyond the inner line after the Kalapani march protest by some Nepalese students’ group last week,” said Manjula Budiyal, a Zila Panchayat member from the area. Budiyal said even the work of storing goods for the Indo –China border trade at Gunji was getting affected as labourers were not available beyond the inner line.

The villagers have demanded that Nepalese labourers be allowed entry beyond the inner line with loads after thorough scrutiny. “We want either alternative arrangements of porters who have been working in this region from decades, or Nepalese labourers be allowed entry after scrutiny for carrying loads to the villages beyond the inner line,” villagers added.