Eighteen from a single village leave for seasonal work in India

Kanchanpur: As the number of people migrating for employment continues to rise, 18 people from a single village in Kanchanpur entered India on Thursday to work as laborers. The group from Danda Kunda of Belauri Municipality-9 has gone to Kerala, the southern hilly region of India, to work in coffee picking on a daily wage basis.

They said they traveled to India for seasonal labor. Local resident Ammar Bharti said that he went to Kerala to pick coffee in order to meet household expenses. Leaving his three-year-old son at home, he traveled with his wife.

“The money earned from Kerala will make it easier to manage household expenses,” he said. “I have planned to buy necessary materials and equipment, including a television, from the remaining amount.” All 18 people from Kunda left on Thursday in a single vehicle after paying the fare. They said they had prepared and brought the necessary supplies for their stay in Kerala from home.

Young men and women from different parts of Kanchanpur have been going to Kerala every year for coffee picking. They said they manage to save up to one lakh Indian rupees during the season. Ganga Chaudhary of Kunda has also gone to Kerala, leaving behind his three-year-old son at home.

Ajab Bharti, who had been working as a heralu in a community forest, said that he resigned from his job and went to Kerala to work as a laborer. Most of the young men and women from the area have been traveling to the Gulf countries for years in search of employment. On Thursday alone, 18 people left for India in a single day, said local resident Shankar Bharti.

At other times, unemployed youths from the area work in places such as Haryana, Delhi, Mumbai, and other parts of India. At present, they have gone to Kerala for seasonal labor, said local Chandra Bahadur Mahara.

He expressed concern that the number of young men and women leaving the area is increasing every year as the government has failed to provide employment opportunities.