Kathmandu. While news of Nepali citizens crossing borders for employment during the pandemic abound discussions, number of Indians arriving Nepal seeking work has also increased lately.

A  DCNepal visit shows that most of those Indian citizens who have entered Nepal are now queuing up at Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital in Teku.

A large number of Indian nationals are working in Kathmandu as  fruit cart vendors, scrap collectors, mechanics and repairmen at electric and electronic goods shops.

Most of the Indians working in Nepal had left for their hometowns in India for the festival of Holi and were stuck there after the lockdown was imposed to tackle the corona pandemic. They returned to Kathmandu as soon as the injunction was lifted but they were asked to provide corona-negative certificates by the owners of the houses where they lived. They had no other options than having themselves tested at Teku Hospital. The ones seeking tests, however, are too many compared to the capacity of the testing facility.

The number of people entering the Kathmandu valley has increased drastically after the long-haul public transportation has resumed. With the Dashain festival nearing, the number of those entering the valley has exceeded those leaving the valley, which is contrary to previous years’ records.

Sizeable number of Nepalis from the terai working in Kathmandu have also added to the long queue of PCR-test seekers at Teku. Most of them had spent the whole night waiting for their turn.