KATHMANDU, MAY 26
Not one but thousands of people are waiting for help from the Nepal government to get rescued back to their country. We have voices of few candidates who have appealed for the return but got no response.
An employee working as a housemaid in Kuwait was told to return home by her boss due to the chances of getting contaminated by migrant workers. She mentioned, “I have already filled all the necessary details in the form provided by our embassy for returning home but the authority concerned is not responding on how to proceed further.”
Similarly, a factory worker from Qatar stated, “The Company where I work asked us to leave and stay in quarantine in our room and we haven’t even been tested again for COVID-19, we are also unable to maintain social distance. Also, local police had arrested many Nepali migrants for violating the lockdown and had kept them in prison en masse. I really doubt if I will be able to return home as I have already been infected and haven’t had a second test for one month.” Lastly, he asserted, “I would like to request the government to pressure the Qatari government to ensure better facilities else hundreds might soon die due to the virus.”
As we have heard of any plan, we did come across such one more by Suresh Adhikari, undersecretary at MoFA, “the ministry and concerned embassies and missions were collecting data to evacuate Nepalis on a priority basis. However, we have not finalized the exact date yet. We plan to evacuate 25,000 to 30,000 Nepalis through various flights in the first phase.”
“We are making arrangements for vehicles to transport returnee migrants to their native places where they have to first stay in quarantine. They can choose to stay in hotels, resorts or party palaces, however, they will have to pay for the service,” announced by Suman Ghimire, joint secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment, and Social Security.
“The government was making arrangements for local levels to enable them to provide daily updates of each ward under their jurisdiction regarding the health details of those who have returned from India and other countries,” stated by Narayan Prasad Bidari, secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.
It’s heartbreaking to know how citizens are stuck out in some other country and not able to return. The government has not yet given any decision to this scenario, though it was announced that all necessary arrangements have been made to evacuate Nepali migrants, which is not done so far. No news is out that how government is going to manage quarantine and health facilities, accommodation and visa process for those preparing to return to the country from abroad, including those from major labor destinations.
How irony is that, we are having a real-life crisis, but the focus has shifted to where a piece of land belongs! People have been suffering and screaming for help but it seems the doers have closed their ears and eyes.
