Villages busy for Dashain preparations

By Basudev Sharma,Jajarkot, Oct. 11: While the villages are bustling to celebrate Dashain, greatest festival of the Hindus, the district headquarters is totally deserted. 

The return of the people who had stayed in district headquarters and other towns for employment and education has increased movement in the villages.

With the festivals of Dashain and Tihar approaching, the villages have become lively. Due to the increase in the number of people travelling to their villages for the festivals, there is a crowd at the bus park. Over the past year, as more people have begun returning to their hometowns, places like the district headquarters have started to look desolate.

According to Dipendra Singh of Kuse Rural Municipality-7, the return of people who had gone to the district headquarters and other cities for higher education and employment for the festivals has increased the activity in the villages.

According to Kalika Chaudhary of Barekot Rural Municipality-8, due to difficult geographical terrain and decreased production and productivity, even while working at the district headquarters, people must carry food supplies back to the villages for the festivals.

The agricultural output is not good, and the market prices are high. For Dashain, people have to take rice from the towns to their villages. Since rice is expensive in the market, they have to get it from the Nepal Food Corporation. People are returning to the villages to meet relatives and elders during the festivals, sharing joys and sorrows.

According to DSP Purushottam Prasad Pandey, chief of the District Police Office, as a large number of people return to the villages from the district headquarters and city markets, incidents of various types tend to increase. Therefore, police units have been urged to tighten security measures.

Chief District Officer Umakanta Adhikari has urged the public to celebrate the festivals peacefully, without extravagant or wasteful practices, utilising available resources. 

Transport operators have been requested not to charge excessive fares and to avoid overloading passengers for the safe travel of people returning to their villages from the district headquarters.